What is the longest day of the year?
The summer solstice lands on June 21 and it marks the astronomical start to the summer and it is also the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun will be directly above us at 6:51 a.m. EDT along the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5º north latitude.
We won’t actually be closer to the sun for the summer solstice. Instead, the Earth will be tilted in a way that gives us the most amount of sunlight on June 21.
The Earth’s tilt also makes June 21 the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere which is why we have seasons. There will be plenty of daylight for those living in the Northern Hemisphere on the summer solstice with Washington D.C. residents receiving up to 15 hours of daylight.
More Summer News:
