Today is longest day of year

June 21 is the Summer Solstice.

According to the Ufa City Planetarium, today the Sun, having moved as far north as possible from the celestial equator, has reached its highest point above the horizon at noon in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Summer Solstice marks the beginning of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and of astronomical winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

"It is usually said that June 20 or 21 is the longest day of the year. But in reality, for several days around this date (from approximately June 19 to 24), the length of the day remains at its maximum because the midday altitude of the Sun above the horizon does not change on these days. For almost a week, the Sun stands at the same altitude above the horizon at noon (solstice). It rises and sets at the same time at the same points on the horizon: in the northeast and northwest, respectively, and describes a large arc across the sky. The Sun is above the horizon for the majority of the day, which is why the days are so long at this time," the planetarium reported.

During the summer solstice days from June 19 to 24, the Sun in Ufa rises at 04:41 Ufa time and sets at 21:55; the length of the day will be at its maximum — 17 hours and 14 minutes, and the length of the night will be at its shortest — 6 hours and 46 minutes.

After the summer solstice, the Sun will rise later and set earlier each day, and the length of the day will gradually decrease until the winter solstice on December 22. By one or two minutes each day, the day will be 6 minutes shorter by the end of June.