“It’s the start of summer!” (Or, winter, if you live south of the equator). 

Check out our Summer Solstice page for everything you need to know about the June Solstice, including FAQs, folklore, and more!

1. Twice a year (June and December)
2. Latin words sol, meaning Sun, and sistere, meaning to come to a stop or stand still
3. The exact same instant of time.
4. Usually, but can range from June 20 to June 22.
5. To astronomers, yes. But to meteorologists, it’s June 1.
6. Farthest! Surprised? It’s not the distance but Earth’s tilt that matters.
7. Nope. Neither the earliest sunrise nor the latest sunset is on this day.
8. It’s the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere (the shortest day of the year).
9. On the summer solstice, the Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer.
10. It takes a few more weeks for the oceans and air to warm up!

Source: almanac.com