The summer solstice marks the day with the most number of daytime hours. For people living in the southern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on the 21st or 22nd of December. This year, the summer solstice will occur on Tuesday the 22nd of December.
The increase in the number of day time hours occurs due to the axial tilt of the Earth. During the southern hemisphere’s summer, the South Pole points towards the Sun. This results in more of the southern hemisphere being illuminated by the Sun at any given point in time. For people in the northern hemisphere the opposite is true. The North Pole points away from the Sun, resulting in less daylight hours for people in the northern hemisphere
Interesting facts about Solstices
- There are two solstices every year.
- In the Southern Hemisphere, we experience the winter solstice in June, and the summer solstice in December.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the names of the equinoxes are reversed.
- The Sun is at it’s southern most point in the sky during the summer solstice.
- At the summer solstice the sun rises and sets lower in the south than any other day.
- There are more hours of daylight on the summer solstice than any other day.
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