The summer solstice happens today, Saturday, June 20, at 4:43 p.m. CDT. The sun will reach its northernmost point in the sky. It marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to astronomical reports from EarthSky, the Earth was 3 million miles closer to the sun in January (the closest point is called perihelion) than it will be on July 4, when it reaches its farthest point from the sun in its orbit, called aphelion. (It was 91,398,199 miles away in January and will be 94,507,635 miles away on July 4.)
In ancient Egypt, summer solstice coincided with the first phase of the Nile’s flooding, marking the Egyptian New Year. In ancient China, they celebrated the switch from yang to yin energy for the next half-year. The Romans honored the goddess Vesta (which is one of astrology’s asteroids) with their Vestalia solstice soiree. And the Greeks honored Cronus, or Saturn, the god of agriculture, at their solstice Kronia festival, where slaves and free people feasted as equals for a day.
Traditionally celebrated at the advent of the Sun’s movement into the sign of Cancer, the solstice will happen at 21:43 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) on Saturday, June 20. If you’re in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States, that’s 5:43 p.m. June 20. In Tokyo, at 6:43 a.m. on Sunday, June 21 and Berlin, Germany, in Central Europe barely falls on the June 20 date at 11:43 p.m. local time.
Luckily, the year’s solstice will mark a return to a more stable way of life and shed some light on some practical solutions on problems facing the world, such as Corvid-19 and police brutality. This process will begin a four to the five-month process of human society’s return to a more calculated means of living with a few lessons learned. We will also be exposed to ways in which we can communicate better. Enjoy!
According to astronomical reports from EarthSky, the Earth was 3 million miles closer to the sun in January (the closest point is called perihelion) than it will be on July 4, when it reaches its farthest point from the sun in its orbit, called aphelion. (It was 91,398,199 miles away in January and will be 94,507,635 miles away on July 4.)
In ancient Egypt, summer solstice coincided with the first phase of the Nile’s flooding, marking the Egyptian New Year. In ancient China, they celebrated the switch from yang to yin energy for the next half-year. The Romans honored the goddess Vesta (which is one of astrology’s asteroids) with their Vestalia solstice soiree. And the Greeks honored Cronus, or Saturn, the god of agriculture, at their solstice Kronia festival, where slaves and free people feasted as equals for a day.
Traditionally celebrated at the advent of the Sun’s movement into the sign of Cancer, the solstice will happen at 21:43 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) on Saturday, June 20. If you’re in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States, that’s 5:43 p.m. June 20. In Tokyo, at 6:43 a.m. on Sunday, June 21 and Berlin, Germany, in Central Europe barely falls on the June 20 date at 11:43 p.m. local time.
Luckily, the year’s solstice will mark a return to a more stable way of life and shed some light on some practical solutions on problems facing the world, such as Corvid-19 and police brutality. This process will begin a four to the five-month process of human society’s return to a more calculated means of living with a few lessons learned. We will also be exposed to ways in which we can communicate better. Enjoy!
