June 21st marks the summer solstice

The lazy, hazy days of summer are officially here at 12:16 p.m. CDT on June 21 as the summer solstice arrives bringing the longest day of the year.

The summer solstice occurs at the moment the earth’s tilt toward from the sun is at a maximum. Therefore, on the day of the summer solstice, the sun appears at its highest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the summer solstice. In fact, the word solstice comes from Latin solstitium or sol (the sun) + -stit-, -stes (standing).  The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at 23.5° latitude North, and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China. The sun will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer on June 21.  For every place north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is at its highest point in the sky and this is the longest day of the year.

Information courtesy noaa.gov