Tonight marks the official start of summer – astronomically speaking. The northern hemisphere has moved into the bright and warm summer season today, while the southern hemisphere has shifted into winter.

The summer solstice occurs at 10:42 p.m. EDT and is when the sun has reached its maximum declination with respect to our home planet, Earth. In other words, today will officially have the longest amount of daylight in the northern hemisphere, with the opposite happening in the southern hemisphere.

While those in the northern hemisphere enjoy the warmer weather and abundant sunshine, the Earth is actually at its farthest point from the warm Sun. This is all thanks to Earth’s elliptical orbit around our bright star. You would think it would be cooler at this point, but the Sun’s rays are so powerful that plenty of heat reaches us to provide that summer warm-up.

The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun this time of year, so the Arctic Circle receives the most daylight during summer. The Sun never sets! Check out the time lapse below, which shows the consistent sunlight called the Midnight Sun.

All over the world, the summer solstice, also called Litha, is celebrated with picnics, music, feasts, and dancing. It is a time to celebrate the warmth and light from the Sun and to enjoy it with friends and loved ones. While you enjoy the summer festivities, don’t forget to take Weather & Radar with you to have the latest summer weather forecast.