Summer Solstice

For those that live in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurred just before midnight Universal Time (5:59 pm Eastern Standard Time) on Friday, June 20th. It was the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.

Because the Earth orbits the Sun and Earth's axis of rotation is tilted, the length of daylight changes through the year. Summer solstice has the longest period of daylight and the shortest period of night because the northen hemisphere is at its maximum tilt toward the Sun. The length of the daylight varies by latitude, but in Martinsville, Virginia it was 14 hours and 41 minutes (US Naval Observatory).

From now until the fall equinox, the length of daylight will decrease by a few minutes less each day until the length of the day and the length of the night will be exactly equal--known as equinox.

For a good explanantion of summer solstice, visit: http://www.earthsky.org/article/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-solstice-on-june-21