Sunnyside Up!
I know Mondays always seem like the longest day of the week, but did you know that today really is the longest day of 2016?
In case you didn’t know, today is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
The sun will be at its farthest point from the equator; that means there will be more daylight today than any other day of the year.
The summer solstice takes place anywhere from June 20-22. In 2016, today is the day! It will occur at 5:34 p.m. CDT when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac the word solstice comes from the Latin solsitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the sun appears to stop at this time.
Here are a few more fun facts about your Monday. Not only is today the summer solstice, it is also the first day of summer. A full moon will appear this evening. It is the first time in 64 years that the summer solstice and a full moon have appeared on the same day. And because the sun is at its highest point, today is kind of like the anti-Groundhog Day because your shadow will be shorter than on any other day.
This is the day the Arctic Circle will experience 24 hours of continuous daylight — how would you like to have those growing conditions in your greenhouse (without the arctic temperatures)?
Speaking of daylight, do you know how much sunlight you get in your area every day? The Farmer’s Almanac has a sunrise and sunset calculator where you can find out how many hours of sunlight your location gets every day?
Before you know it, the 2016 winter solstice will be here — that’s the shortest day of the year. It will take place on Dec. 21. But we can wait for that.
In the mean time, enjoy the first day of summer!
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