THE Summer Solstice provided a stunning sunset over Warrington.
These pictures were captured at Hillcliffe Cemetery, one of the best locations to watch a sunset in Warrington
Solstice, this year on Thursday, June 20, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere.
It signals the beginning of astronomical summer north of the equator and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun does set at the North Pole, and at the South Pole, it does not rise.
This year’s solstice was the earliest for 228 years!
The word solstice comes from the fact the Sun appears to stand still – from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).
The solstice always occurs between 20 and 22 June, and during a leap year (such as 2024) it always falls on 20 June.
The exact date shifts slightly each year because the calendar year doesn’t match exactly the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun.
The calendar is approximately a quarter of a day short, which is why we have leap years, to bring the calendar back in line with the Earth’s orbit.
When most people think of the first day of summer they are referring to the astronomical summer – the summer solstice.
However, meteorologists always class our northern hemisphere summer as starting on 1 June and ending on 31 August. The meteorological seasons are split into four periods made up of three months each, which makes it easier to compare seasonal statistics.
Meteorologically, we are nearly a month into summer. Astronomically, the summer has only just begun.
@warringtonworldwide #sunset #summersolstice #sun #warrington ♬ 24/7, 365 (sunset session) – elijah woods
