The Northern Hemisphere has reached its peak sun, which marks Summer solstice – The longest day of the year and official start of astronomical summer. In contrast, for those in the Southern Hemisphere, it reflects the smallest day and the onset of winter.
The word “solstice” derives from the Latin words “soul” for the sun and “stitium, meaning” poses “or” stop “. This astronomical phenomenon marks the highest annual arc of the Sun in the sky, after which it begins its gradual return, which leads to the lesser days by the end of December.
For millennium, civilizations have seen and celebrated Solestis, such as construction of monuments StonehengeWhich was accurately aligned with the paths of the Sun during these decisive moments. Understanding what appears in the sky, requires a look at the orbital mechanics of the Earth.
As our planet travels around the Sun, it does so on a bent axis. For most years, this inclination means that sunlight and heat are disarmed unevenly between the northern and southern hemispheres. Sankranti occurs when this axial tilt occurs at its most peak, resulting in the most important inequality between day and night length. During the Summer Sankranti of the Northern Hemisphere, the upper part of the Earth is tilted directly towards the sun, making the longest day and shortest night of the year. The winter solstice, by contrast, sees the northern hemisphere bending away from the sun, which leads to the shortest day and longest night.
Unlike the solstice, there is a periodic period when the Earth’s axis and its orbit align in such a way that both hemispheres receive almost equal amounts of sunlight. The word “Equinox” itself comes from Latin words which means “equal” and “night.” These days, the day and night are almost identical. The Northern Hemisphere experiences its spring (vernal) equinox between 19 and 21 March, and its autumn (autumn) equinox between September 21 and 24 September. At the equator, the sun is straight up in the afternoon during an equinox, and specificly, both north and south poles are illuminated together with sunflowers.
It is also important to differentiate between astronomical and meteorological seasons. While astronomical seasons are defined by accurate movements of the Earth around the Sun, meteorological seasons are based on annual temperature cycles, dividing the year over a fixed three months period. By this calendar, spring begins on 1 March, in summer on 1 June, autumn on 1 September and winter on 1 December.
