Summer
Solstice - Summer starts here
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| Last
year's Summer Solstice at Stonehenge |
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It
may seem as though the
summer has
hardly started
but already the longest
day is nearly
upon us.
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For many,
the summer starts here!
The science
The Earth, of course, rotates upon its axis. But the axis is inclined
at an angle of 23 degrees from perpendicular to the plane of its orbit.
The
summer solstice marks that day of the year when the North Pole is
tilted farthest towards the Sun. Consequently, the Sun reaches farthest
north of the equator.
Although we mark the occasion by greeting the sunrise, the actual
time of the Solstice is at 2:24 PM.
The
word solstice means ‘sun stands still’. So for a few days around June,
21 the Sun will appear to rise and set at exactly the same places.
During the days the Sun will appear at its highest, around 62 degrees
at noon.
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| Last
year's summer solstice at Stonehenge |
Celebrating
the Solstice
Many ancient civilisations marked the Summer Solstice, seeing it as
a time to celebrate the forces which controlled the natural cycle
of life, death and rebirth.
From Stonehenge to Peru and from China to Egypt, ancient civilisations
erected structures to mark these important events.
Even today hundreds of people will be marking the event by visiting
Stonehenge and watching the Sun rise over the Stone Circle.
Stonehenge
For those contemplating joining the druids, police and casual onlookers,
you will need to be up very early.
The Sun will rise over Stonehenge at around 4:51 am.
Recent summer solstices have been marked by shrouds of low cloud hanging
over Salisbury Plain although these shots taken last year show that
the sun does occasionally shine for the Solstice.
So if you want to avoid an unnecessarily early alarm call, then remember
to check the forecast on this website
Forecast
Those hoping to greet the sunrise tomorrow morning may well be in
place under relatively clear skies.
After a fine evening temperatures will drop to around 9 degrees Celsius
soon after midnight.
But later in the night there will be patchy cloud moving in from the
west. Cloud is expected to be broken around the time of sunrise, so
there is a chance of viewing the sun as it appears above the horizon,
but the chances are only about 60:40 in favour.
Even if it is cloudy at the critical moment, the clouds will be blown
along by a light southerly wind, so it should put in appearance within
half an hour.
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