Summer solstice is coming up in late December, but what is this important day and how should you celebrate it? Well, you’re in luck — we’re answering popular frequently asked questions about the summer solstice in 2020.
Photo by Andrey Grinkevich on Unsplash.
3 FAQs About Summer Solstice
What is summer solstice?
Summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, when the sun travels the furthest, bringing more hours of daylight on that day. This also marks when one of Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the sun, which explains why there are two annually — one in each hemisphere.
At different times of the year, normally around June 21 and December 21, the northern or southern hemisphere is closest to the sun. This means each hemisphere spends half a year tilted towards the sun, and the other half tilted away from the sun. So, this explains our seasons and why the two hemispheres have different seasons (e.g. when it’s summer in Australia, it’s winter in Europe).
Therefore, when the Earth is at its maximum tilt towards the sun, a solstice occurs.
When is summer solstice?
Summer solstice is on Monday, 21 December 2020 at 8:02PM (AEST) in the Southern Hemisphere. This day occurs annually in Australia, normally on the 22nd of December, but it can also occur on 21 or 23 December.
How long is the summer solstice day?
Monday, 21 December, 2020 will be a day with 13 hours and 52 minutes and 55 seconds of sunlight. This marks the longest day of the year, which is 3 and a half hours longer than on the June solstice.
How You Can Celebrate the Summer Solstice
As the longest day of the year (and only a few days before Christmas), summer solstice is a day worth celebrating. Here are our top recommendations for how to enjoy all 13 hours, 52 minutes and 55 seconds of daylight.
Head to the beach.
While this one may seem obvious, it’s definitely worth heading to the beach to soak up some of that sunlight. Enjoy this long day by swimming, tanning, playing beach volleyball, or whatever you like to do at the beach. Make sure to wear sun protection and stay hydrated, and don’t stay at the beach all day!
Take a boat or jet ski out on the water.
If you live near canals, lakes or the ocean, then you know how quickly days go when spending time out on the water. However, this is the day to do it as you’ll finally have more than enough time to take a jet ski, boat, kayak, paddle board, etc. out on the water, take a shower and much needed nap and still have time for dinner, karaoke, or whatever activity you like to do in the afternoon.
Jump on a sunset cruise.
This is the latest the sun will set all year, so it’s a must to watch it go down. Watch the sunset from nearby viewpoints, the beach or jump on a sunset cruise to really take it all in.
Install solar panels.
As we’ve said before, this day has a lot of hours in it, so take advantage of this and have your solar panels set up to absorb all that sunlight.
Get in contact with your local solar panel installer to add solar panels to your home.
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