Summer solstice: the longest day of the year (2024)

Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

During the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the longest period of sunlight in a day.

So, in Dhaka, today's sunrise was at 5:11am and sunset will be at 6:48pm, resulting in a day length of 13 hours, 35 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Usually, the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice falls between June 20 and 22. This year's solstice is the earliest in 228 years, last occurring on June 20, 1796.

After the solstice, daylight will be shorter, and our nights will become longer.

So what is a a summer solstice?

The summer solstice happens because, at this point in earth's orbit, the North Pole is tilted closest to the sun, causing the sun's rays to hit the Northern Hemisphere at their most direct angle, resulting in the longest period of daylight.

So if anything, summer solstice is just Earth romancing the sun and getting its head closer to the light!

Why do the solstice dates change?

The solstice date shifts because the Earth's annual orbit around the sun doesn't perfectly align with our calendar year. Although the Earth's orbital cycle and axial tilt stay fairly constant in the short term, gradual natural variations lead to minor changes in the solstice date every few decades.

In other words, Earth is not going to take cues from us about what to do and when. It will orbit as it pleases and do cool things like "midnight sun."

FYI, the Arctic Circle will experience a polar day, also known as the midnight sun, with 24 hours of continuous sunlight.

Will this solstice be the hottest?

Dhaka, today, is cloudy and the temperature is nowhere near what the heat wave of this year's April brought us.

Despite the long hours of sunlight, the summer solstice is not the hottest day of the year. This phenomenon, known as "seasonal lag."

It occurs because the Earth and its atmosphere take time to warm up. Similar to how the hottest part of the day is usually in the afternoon, not at noon when the sun is highest, the warming process delays peak temperatures.

The oceans, covering about 70 percent of the Earth's surface, absorb, store, and release heat slowly, contributing to this delay.

Summer is coming!

Consequently, the hottest days of summer typically occur several weeks after the solstice, often in July or August in the Northern Hemisphere.

So, gear up people of this hemisphere, mother earth is giving us time like a true lady! She's giving us chances to get our act together.

From Bangladesh and India to Greece and the US, heatwaves have scorched numerous countries across the Northern Hemisphere, but she, Mother Earth, does give us warnings, time-outs.

And we are to blame, if we cannot even see that, no?

Will the days start to get shorter now?

Yes, although the days begin to shorten immediately after the solstice, they remain quite long and the sun stays relatively high in the sky. As a result, the solar energy received continues to be substantial.

So, what's Southern Hemisphere doing now?

The Southern Hemisphere is experiencing the winter solstice at the same time as the summer solstice in our Hemisphere.

This occurs because the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. While the astronomical start of summer happens in the north, the astronomical start of winter begins in the south.

Astronomical events are determined by the Earth's position in space, whereas meteorological seasons are based on the calendar year and annual temperature cycles.

The Southern Hemisphere will have its shortest day of the year today!

Strawberry Moon

Right after the summer solstice comes the June full moon, famously known as the "strawberry moon."

This event coincides with another remarkable sight: the 2024 June full moon falls on the solstice itself, the day when the Sun reaches its highest point of the year.

This month's full moon on the 21st will be the lowest full moon we've seen in years due to its position. Because of its low position, the moon will appear larger than usual, a phenomenon known as the 'Moon Illusion.'

So. children, we are done catching up with Mother Earth today!

There are people at the Temple of the Sun in Peru today, who are on this solstice, rising above their soul trying to reconnect to the spirit of the universe. There will be people gathering at Stonehenge monument in the United Kingdom today, to wonder our places in this glorious and indifferent universe. After all, Stonehenge was built to align precisely with the sunrise during the summer solstice.

In anticipation, there were climate activists who painted Stonehenge on Wednesday to call for the phasing out of fossil fuels, reports BBC and Al Jazeera.

So, as prolonged heatwaves and extreme weather worldwide continue to ravage our only home, the earth is doing what it has always done. Create wonder so glorious, if we could just pause for a moment to notice we would have the chance to see our sin.

There is a flood going on right now in the Northern part of our country devastating everything on its way. Signs of climate change have never been clearer. When the "strawberry moon" rises tonight after this longest day, will we be wise enough to consider what we are losing?

As people gather around prehistoric sites to celebrate the summer solstice, for us, I wish the courage to look at our dead rivers. In light of the strawberry moon, I wish not pain but an awakening perhaps, a realisation. That we have such a cool mother and we must protect her as she continues to feed and shelter us.