Summer solstice 2021: 10 facts about the longest day of the year

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s officially the first day of summer!

If you’re a person who can’t wait to enjoy the high temperatures, blazing sun, heat, and summer activities, then you’ve been waiting for this day — the summer solstice.

The first day of summer 2021 is Sunday, June 20, which also falls on Father’s Day.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the day:

• Summer 2021 -- also known as the “summer solstice” -- officially begins at 11:32 p.m. on June 20.
• This summer solstice is the longest day of the year, the day with the most hours of sunlight during the whole year. For June 20, Staten Island will enjoy just over 15 hours of daylight.
• According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the solstice marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring when Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the sun, resulting the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. By longest “day,” this means the longest period of sunlight hours.
• Sunday is the day to apply sunscreen. The sun is at its highest peak today, and the towering height of the solstice sun creates a high UV index, making it easy to get a quick sunburn.
• The summer solstice brings not only the longest day of the year, but also the longest period of morning and evening twilight. The shallow angle at which the sun crosses the horizon keeps the sky illuminated a bit longer before sunrise and after sunset.
• At noon on the summer solstice, you’ll be able to cast your shortest shadow of the year, because of the height of the sun.
• It always doesn’t occur on the same day. The timing of the June solstice is not based on a specific calendar date or time, but depends on when the sun reaches its northernmost point from the celestial equator, according to the Almanac. Therefore, the solstice won’t always occur on the same day — and it currently shifts between June 20, 21, and 22.
• The word solstice comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).
• In Sweden, people celebrate the summer solstice by eating the first strawberries of the season.
• The first day of summer is not usually the hottest day of summer. Although the Northern Hemisphere gets its most direct sunlight on the summer solstice, the hottest day of summer doesn’t usually occur until July or August. That’s because for several more weeks the amount of solar energy arriving at the ground is greater than the amount leaving the earth, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

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