Happy Summer Solstice and Father's Day TOO!

peaceandlove · 06-21-2009, 06:08 PM

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE

and Father's Day too!

May your days be never too long, nor too short!

The June Solstice Explained

The June solstice is known as the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere contrary to the southern hemisphere, where it is known as the winter solstice. Its date varies from June 20 to June 22, depending on the year, in the Gregorian calendar. The June solstice occurs at 5.46am Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on June 21 in 2009.

To find the June solstice date in other time zones or other years, please use the Seasons Calculator.

The image above shows an example of what happens during the June solstice. Illustration is not to scale

Varying dates

In the Gregorian calendar the June solstice dates vary. For example, it occurred on June 20 in 2008 and falls on June 21 in 2009. A June 22 solstice will not occur until June 22, 2203, which is 194 years away from 2009. A June 22 solstice previously occurred on June 22, 1971.

The varying dates of the solstice are mainly due to the calendar system – most western countries use the Gregorian calendar, which has 365 days in a year, or 366 days in a leap year. As for the tropical year, it is approximately 365.242199 days, but varies from year to year because of the influence of other planets. A tropical year is the length of time that the sun takes to return to the same position in the cycle of seasons, as seen from earth. According to Swinburne University of Technology, the exact orbital and daily rotational motion of the Earth, such as the “wobble” in the earth's axis (precession), also contributes to the changing solstice dates.

Continues with lots of great links: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html

06-21-2009, 06:08 PM	#1
peaceandlove Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Turtle Island Posts: 2,776	Happy Summer Solstice and Father's Day TOO! HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE and Father's Day too! May your days be never too long, nor too short! The June Solstice Explained The June solstice is known as the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere contrary to the southern hemisphere, where it is known as the winter solstice. Its date varies from June 20 to June 22, depending on the year, in the Gregorian calendar. The June solstice occurs at 5.46am Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on June 21 in 2009. To find the June solstice date in other time zones or other years, please use the Seasons Calculator. The image above shows an example of what happens during the June solstice. Illustration is not to scale Varying dates In the Gregorian calendar the June solstice dates vary. For example, it occurred on June 20 in 2008 and falls on June 21 in 2009. A June 22 solstice will not occur until June 22, 2203, which is 194 years away from 2009. A June 22 solstice previously occurred on June 22, 1971. The varying dates of the solstice are mainly due to the calendar system – most western countries use the Gregorian calendar, which has 365 days in a year, or 366 days in a leap year. As for the tropical year, it is approximately 365.242199 days, but varies from year to year because of the influence of other planets. A tropical year is the length of time that the sun takes to return to the same position in the cycle of seasons, as seen from earth. According to Swinburne University of Technology, the exact orbital and daily rotational motion of the Earth, such as the “wobble” in the earth's axis (precession), also contributes to the changing solstice dates. Continues with lots of great links: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html Last edited by peaceandlove; 06-21-2009 at 10:27 PM.