summer solstice – Watch the Skies

Welcome June with a Full Strawberry Moon and Summer Solstice

Sky enthusiasts, start off summer by witnessing two extraordinary celestial events in June – the Full Strawberry Moon and the summer solstice. These events hold both historical and cultural significance.

The Moon rises as a Metrorail car crosses the Potomac river in Washington 50 years to the day after astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin launched on Apollo 11, the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Full Strawberry Moon, depending on one’s time zone, will illuminate the night sky on June 3. Although the exact moment of full moon occurs when the Moon is opposite the Earth from the Sun, its full appearance will extend for about a day before and after the event. Remember to bring binoculars or a telescope to see all of the details of the Moon’s craters and other lunar features.

The name “Full Strawberry Moon” originated from the Algonquin tribes in the northeastern United States. This full moon occurred during the month of June when strawberries were ripening and ready to be harvested. The name “Strawberry Moon” has been passed down through generations and continues to be used by many today.

Diagram of the Earth’s alignment with the Sun for the June and December solstices. (NASA)

Later in the month on June 21, the summer solstice will mark the beginning of the astronomical summer and the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, and the start of winter and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. This change in season is due to the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth’s axis compared to its orbit around the sun, allowing the most direct sunlight to reach the Northern Hemisphere this month.

Throughout history, this celestial event has played a crucial role in various civilizations, shaping their calendars, traditions, and agricultural practices. Farmers would rely on the June Solstice to determine when to plant and harvest crops. The solstice’s timing influenced the development of many calendars, such as the ancient Roman calendar and the modern Gregorian calendar.

Enjoy the seasonal change as you watch the skies!

By Eben Boothby

June Solstice Brings Summer, Winter Seasons

The June solstice gives us the green light to welcome the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere and winter season in the Southern Hemisphere. This happens June 21, 2021, at 03:32 UTC, but for us in North America, that’s June 20 at 10:32 p.m. CDT (UTC-5).

In meteorology, summer begins on June 1. Yet, June 21 is perhaps the most widely recognized day when summer starts in the northern half of our planet and winter starts in the southern half. This astronomical beginning of the summer season and long-held, universal tradition of celebrating the solstice have allowed us to treasure this time of warmth and light.

Summer solstice explanation — During the solstices, Earth reaches a point where its tilt is at the greatest angle to the plane of its orbit, causing one hemisphere to receive more daylight than the other. Credits: NASA/Genna Duberstein

Along with marking the beginning of summer, this will also be the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. We will begin to see early dawns, long days, late sunsets, and short nights. On the solstice, our Sun will reach its highest point as it crosses the sky. Meanwhile, south of the equator, winter will begin!

The ancient cultures knew that the Sun’s path across the sky, length of daylight, and location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. Additionally, people built monuments, like Stonehenge, to follow the Sun’s annual progress, to worship the Sun, and to predict its movements.

Earth's seasons — Click to view larger. Credit: NASA/Space Place

Today, we celebrate the solstice as an astronomical event caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and its motion in orbit around the Sun.

Earth’s axis may be imagined as an imaginary pole going right through the center of our planet from “top” to “bottom.” Earth spins around this pole, making one complete turn each day. That is why we have day and night, and why every part of Earth’s surface gets some of each.

Earth doesn’t orbit upright; its axis is always tilted 23.5˚ with respect to the Sun-Earth line, which is why we have seasons. During the June solstice compared to any other time of the year, the north pole is tipped more directly toward the Sun, and the south pole is tipped more directly away from the Sun. As a result, all locations north of the equator see days longer than 12 hours and all locations south see days shorter than 12 hours.

Enjoy the new season – whichever half of the globe you’re in!

by Lance D. Davis

Happy Solstice, Skywatchers

It’s the first day of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and the first of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Why the difference? It’s all about Earth’s tilt!

During the solstices, Earth reaches a point where its tilt is at the greatest angle to the plane of its orbit, causing one hemisphere to receive more daylight than the other. (NASA/Genna Duberstein)

Earth’s axis is an imaginary pole going right through the center of Earth from “top” to “bottom.” Earth spins around this pole, making one complete turn each day. That is why we have day and night, and why every part of Earth’s surface gets some of each.

Earth’s axis is always tilted 23.5˚ with respect to the Sun. Today, the north pole is tipped toward the Sun, and the south pole is tipped away from the Sun. The northern summer solstice is an instant in time when the north pole of the Earth points more directly toward the Sun than at any other time of the year.

The solstice—meaning “sun stands still” in Latin—occurs at 10:54 a.m. CDT.