Kick off summer with a solstice primer
Friday, June 20, 2008 1:19 PM PDT
By The Daily News
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E-mail this articleSummer officially begins with the summer solstice at 4:59 p.m. Friday.
The earth is tilted so that the north pole is at its closest point with the sun. As a result there will be more minutes of sunlight in the northern hemisphere than at any other time of the year.
The official sunrise is 5:20 a.m. Friday, with the official sunset at 9:07 p.m.
Summer Solstice facts, as provided by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry:
• The word “solstice” is derived from the Latin sol-stitium, for sun-standing. The summer solstice is the time of the year when the sun stops its northern climb and stands briefly before turning back toward the equator.
• Friday and Saturday, we will have nearly 17 hours of daylight to enjoy. From March 21 until Sept. 24, there are more hours of daylight than darkness. After June 20, the days will gradually grow shorter until Dec. 21, the winter solstice.
• As seen from Portland, the sun will reach its highest northern point in the sky at 67.54 degrees from the horizon at approximately 1:12 p.m. Friday.
• The earliest sunrise (5:21 am PDT) of the year occurred on June 14. The earliest sunrise, longest day, and latest sunset do not coincide. The longest days occur around the solstice (Saturday) and the latest sunset (9:03 p.m. PDT) happens on June 28.
• The summer solstice produces the shortest sunset and sunrise of the year.
Around the world
In ancient times, the beginning of summer was met with as much joy.
Summer meant a new beginning; the snow had thawed, the leaves were green, food was easier to find and crops could be planted. The season was so important that literally hundreds of groups celebrated it with religious festivities.
Ancient Sweden: A tree was set up and decorated in each town to celebrate summer solstice. The villagers would dance around the tree and females would bathe in the local river. The ritual was supposed to bring rain for the crops.
Ancient Egypt: Summer solstice was considered the beginning of the new year. It coincided with the flooding season when the soil would be fertilized and water would quench the arid Nile Valley.
Latvia and other Baltic States: Summer solstice was celebrated with a feast of traditional beer and cheese. All work would be put on hold during the festivities.
North American Natives: Several American Indian tribes marked the solstice with rites and ritual celebrations. The Sioux tribe would perform the Sundance in a specially constructed lodge and the Hopi Indians held ceremonies with masked dancers in brightly colored costumes. The dancers represented the spirits of rain and fertility.
What’s probably the biggest celebration of summer solstice happens at Stonehenge. Every year thousands of New Age followers, who call themselves Druids, gather to dance, play music and watch the sun rise.
The mysterious stone circles southwest of London align with the rising of the sun on the longest day of the year. Some experts say they are part of a huge astronomical calendar.
Solstice to the south
Not everybody is celebrating. Far to our south, across the equator, winter has arrived.
For people in the southern hemisphere, Saturday will be the shortest day of the year. It also means the beginning of their winter.
Six months from now, when the earth has made half of its yearly trip around the sun, the northern hemisphere will experience that cold weather. Dec. 21 will be winter solstice. That’s when we have the fewest hours of sunlight and winter officially begins.
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