Nations in the northern hemisphere will celebrate the longest day of the year today as the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. The UK will enjoy up to 17 hours of daylight. This is when the sun will set today.
When is sunset today?
The Northern Hemisphere enjoys extended daylight hours today because the sun will reach its highest in the northern sky, directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
There will be 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight in the UK today.
The sun will rise at 4.43am and set until 9.21pm this evening.
The precise time of today’s Northern Hemisphere summer solstice 2019 is at 4.54pm – when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky.
Revellers will flock to Wiltshire, to the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to watch the sun set on the Summer Solstice today.
The longest day of the year is also known as Midsummer and has a special significance for pagans.
Pagans believe the solstice signifies rebirth and celebrate the power of the sun as it reaches its highest point in the sky.
Thousands will gather at Stonehenge to watch the sun go down today.
Although Stonehenge’s exact purpose remains a mystery, the site is thought to have once been an ancient temple aligned with the Sun’s movements.
Other theories as to its role include an astronomical calculator for predicting eclipses and solar event.
Stonehenge was also thought to be a place where ancestors were worshipped and was believed to be a centre of healing.
What is the summer solstice?
The longest day of the year happens when one of the Earth’s poles reaches its maximum tilt toward the sun.
There are two summer solstice’s a year, one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere.
While the northern hemisphere marks its longest day of the year, the southern hemisphere has its shortest.
Today marks the astrological start of summer but the meteorological year is defined differently.
According to the meteorological calendar, summer began on June 1 and will end on August 31.
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