The summer solstice, marking the year’s longest daylight period, officially occurs at 4:51 p.m. Eastern time Thursday. Here’s why it’s a day early.
By Justin Grieser, The Washington PostRevelers gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, June 21, 2023.
Daylight hours on the summer solstice depend on latitude: The closer you move toward the North Pole, the more time the sun spends above the horizon. The sun is up for 16 hours in Seattle, but only 13 hours and 45 minutes in Miami. To correct this discrepancy, the Gregorian calendar introduced a special rule: Any year divisible by four is a leap year, except for century years, which can only be leap years if they are divisible by 400. Therefore, 1600 and 2000 were leap years, while 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not.
In June, the Northern Hemisphere leans toward the sun, bringing us more direct sunlight and warmer weather. In the Southern Hemisphere, the June solstice is the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. Halfway between the winter and summer solstices are the equinoxes, when the length of day and night are nearly equal everywhere on Earth.
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