2010 Summer Solstice

2010 summer solstice

The solstice is an astronomical event that only happens two times over the course of the year. It occurs when the tilt of the Earth’s axis leans more toward, or away from the sun. This causes the sun to shine either toward the northern half, or southern half of the earth. This event also drastically effects the seasons in different parts of the globe. The name solstice comes from the Latin word sol (sun), mixed with the Latin word sitere (to stand still). Due to the fact that the sun is always at the same point, and it is the axis of the Earth that is moving instead, the name literally means “sun stand still.”

The terms Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are commonly used to refer to the event happening during the given season. Seeing that the seasons differ from the northern to the southern hemisphere, the terms may be ambiguous. They are also used to describe both the longest and shortest days of the year, in terms of amount of time that sunlight is experienced.

The Northern and Southern Solstice indicate the direction that the sun “moves” in terms of how we view it here on Earth. The Northern Solstice takes place in June. During that period of time the sun is positioned over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Solstice occurs in December, when the sun can be viewed directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere.
The terms have been used for quite some time, and are commonly used to describe the astronomical event that takes place twice per year.