Why Solstice Lanterns Are Taking Over US Social Media - Away State Journal
La Grande Observer: Celebrate Winter Solstice with lanterns, firelight and forest tea
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.
Actually, a solstice and an equinox are sort of opposites. The seasons on Earth change because the planet is slightly tilted on its axis as it travels around the Sun. This means different points on Earth receive more or less sunlight at different times of year.
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.
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.
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.
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.
