Okla-homey
6/21/2006, 06:26 AM
June 21, 2006...Summer Solstice
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2490/summersolstice6ur.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere and a historic day of celebration among pagans. The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. At the time of the summer solstice, Earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun, causing the sun to appear at 23.45 degrees above the celestial equator, thus making its highest path across the sky.
The summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest daylight period and hence the shortest night. This day usually occurs on June 21/June 22 in the northern hemisphere and on December 21/December 22 in the southern hemisphere. The actual date changes due to differences between the calendar year and the tropical year.
At the point of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere the sun appears to be directly overhead at midday along an imaginary line on the Northern Hemisphere at latitude 23.45 deg N known as the Tropic of Cancer. At the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere the sun appears directly overhead at midday along an imaginary line 23.45 deg S known as the Tropic of Capricorn. These two lines were so-called because, in ancient times when the first Western astrological charts were set, the sun rose in these constellations at these times.
These lines on the planet mark the southern and northern most points where the sun can appear to be directly overhead to an Earth-based observer, and encompass the tropical region of the earth's surface.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8198/800pxearthlightingsummersolsti.png (http://imageshack.us)
The summer solstice along with the winter solstice, vernal equinox, and autumnal equinox were discovered by people in the northern hemisphere and originally referred to northern hemisphere seasons.
From here on, the days will become one minute shorter per day until the Winter equinox until December 22 when the whole astronomical dealio starts over again.
Midsummer is the time around the summer solstice. There are traditional holidays celebrated in Northern Europe and elsewhere at this time. In Denmark and Norway midsummers eve is known as Sankt Hans Aften. Bonfires are lit on beaches throughout the land as darkness comes and effigies and fireworks are thrown into the fires.
Summer Solstice is also celebrated as a Wiccan sabbat, called Litha. Every year, a celebration takes place at Stonehenge.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3651/stonehenge7ot.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Stonehenge in England. Today happy Wiccans will prance around naked drinking mead and doing generally nasty stuff.
In the USA, Canada, and some other countries, the summer solstice is regarded as the start of summer. In other countries, including Ireland, China, and Japan, the summer solstice is regarded as midsummer. For example, in Ireland, summer begins on May 1. Similarly, traditional East Asian calendars refers to the summer solstice as the "extreme of summer" and not the start. The Slavs celebrate the shortest night of the year as St. John's Night.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/693/thebaynews6160513rdsize2zv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
In California, state parks employees celebrate the day by giving otters onions. *Just kidding, but when I Googled for summer slstice images this pic came up. It seemed to good not to share.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2490/summersolstice6ur.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere and a historic day of celebration among pagans. The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. At the time of the summer solstice, Earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun, causing the sun to appear at 23.45 degrees above the celestial equator, thus making its highest path across the sky.
The summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest daylight period and hence the shortest night. This day usually occurs on June 21/June 22 in the northern hemisphere and on December 21/December 22 in the southern hemisphere. The actual date changes due to differences between the calendar year and the tropical year.
At the point of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere the sun appears to be directly overhead at midday along an imaginary line on the Northern Hemisphere at latitude 23.45 deg N known as the Tropic of Cancer. At the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere the sun appears directly overhead at midday along an imaginary line 23.45 deg S known as the Tropic of Capricorn. These two lines were so-called because, in ancient times when the first Western astrological charts were set, the sun rose in these constellations at these times.
These lines on the planet mark the southern and northern most points where the sun can appear to be directly overhead to an Earth-based observer, and encompass the tropical region of the earth's surface.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8198/800pxearthlightingsummersolsti.png (http://imageshack.us)
The summer solstice along with the winter solstice, vernal equinox, and autumnal equinox were discovered by people in the northern hemisphere and originally referred to northern hemisphere seasons.
From here on, the days will become one minute shorter per day until the Winter equinox until December 22 when the whole astronomical dealio starts over again.
Midsummer is the time around the summer solstice. There are traditional holidays celebrated in Northern Europe and elsewhere at this time. In Denmark and Norway midsummers eve is known as Sankt Hans Aften. Bonfires are lit on beaches throughout the land as darkness comes and effigies and fireworks are thrown into the fires.
Summer Solstice is also celebrated as a Wiccan sabbat, called Litha. Every year, a celebration takes place at Stonehenge.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3651/stonehenge7ot.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Stonehenge in England. Today happy Wiccans will prance around naked drinking mead and doing generally nasty stuff.
In the USA, Canada, and some other countries, the summer solstice is regarded as the start of summer. In other countries, including Ireland, China, and Japan, the summer solstice is regarded as midsummer. For example, in Ireland, summer begins on May 1. Similarly, traditional East Asian calendars refers to the summer solstice as the "extreme of summer" and not the start. The Slavs celebrate the shortest night of the year as St. John's Night.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/693/thebaynews6160513rdsize2zv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
In California, state parks employees celebrate the day by giving otters onions. *Just kidding, but when I Googled for summer slstice images this pic came up. It seemed to good not to share.