Solstice Lanterns Spark Surprise Reactions Across America - Away State Journal
Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries, the seasons of the year are defined by reference to the solstices and the equinoxes. The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the day when this occurs.
Solstice, either of the two moments in the year when the Sun’s apparent path is farthest north or south from Earth’s Equator. In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 and the winter solstice on December 21 or 22.
On the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set at all on the Summer Solstice. On that one day, the sun traces a complete circle just above the horizon as the Earth rotates.
These moments are the solstices. The June solstice takes place sometime between June 20 and 22, when the Sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. As a rough guide, the Tropic of Cancer passes through Mexico, northern Africa, the Middle East, India, and China.
In the case of a solstice, from our Earthly perspective, the Sun appears to stop moving. From the moment of the December (winter) solstice to the June (summer) solstice, the Sun appears to continuously climb northward as its direct rays migrate north.
A solstice is an event in which a planet’s poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the star it orbits. Here, the Southern Hemisphere gets the maximum intensity of the Sun's rays during the December solstice.
