Sunday is the longest day of the year for half the planet. A guide to
the summer solstice
[June 20, 2026]
This is the sun's time to shine: Sunday is the longest day of the year
in the Northern Hemisphere.
Sunday is the solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north
of the equator. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it
is the shortest day of the year and winter will start.
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol,” for sun, and “stitium,”
which can mean “pause” or “stop.” The summer solstice is the end of the
sun’s annual march higher in the sky, when it makes its longest, highest
arc. The bad news for sun lovers: It then starts retreating and days
will get a little shorter every day until late December.
People have marked solstices for eons with festivals and monuments,
including Sweden's midsummer eve celebrations and Stonehenge, which was
designed to align with the sun’s paths at the solstices.
Here’s what to know about the Earth’s orbit.
What is the solstice?
As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle, making the
sun’s warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern
halves of the planet for most of the year.
The solstices mark the times when the Earth is tipped most extremely
either toward or away from the sun. This means the hemispheres are
getting very different amounts of sunlight, and days and nights are at
their most unequal.
At the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice, the Earth’s upper half is
leaning toward the sun, creating the longest day and shortest night of
the year. The summer solstice falls between June 20 and 22. This year
it’s June 21.
The opposite happens at the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice: the
Earth’s upper half leans the furthest away from the sun, leading to the
shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice falls
between Dec. 20 and 23.
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Revelers gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to
celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, near
Salisbury, England, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung,
File)
 What is the equinox?
During the equinox, the Earth’s tilt is neither toward the sun nor
away from the sun, so both the northern and southern hemispheres get
an equal amount of sunlight. The sun rises almost exactly due east
and it sets almost exactly due west.
The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and
night. That’s because on the equinox, day and night last almost the
same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes,
depending on where you are on the planet.
The Northern Hemisphere’s fall — or autumnal — equinox can land
between Sept. 21 and 24, depending on the year. Its spring — or
vernal — equinox can land between March 19 and 21. The exact time of
the equinox is the moment the sun is directly overhead at the
equator.
What’s the difference between meteorological and astronomical
seasons?
These are just two different ways to carve up the year.
While astronomical seasons depend on how the Earth moves around the
sun, meteorological seasons are defined by the weather.
Meteorologists break down the year into three-month seasons based on
annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March
1, summer on June 1, fall on Sept. 1 and winter on Dec. 1.
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