An adorable animation of the Earth complete with miniature palm tree and deckchair is today’s Google Doodle image. Google celebrated the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the longest period of daylight in the year, with a doodle. The summer solstice is a major astronomical event which takes place every year. Today, which is June 21, marks the beginning of summer and is an important moment in many cultures.
The summer solstice also called as June solstice will last till September 22 or 23. This is the day when the earth is tilted towards the sun at the maximum point. Summer Solstice also means that the people living north of the Equator will receive the most amount of sunlight throughout this single day. In fact, further towards the north, in the Arctic Circle, the area will receive sunshine for a full 24 hours.
Incidentally, the solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the imaginary Tropic of Cancer. Notably, summer solstices happen twice each year, once in each hemisphere. It is called a summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere and a Winter solstice for the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. While the Northern Hemisphere will enjoy the beginning of summers today, on the other side, which is the Southern Hemisphere, people will witness the shortest day of the year.
Incidentally, ancient structures like the Stonehenge and Great Pyramids at Giza have a special relationship with the solstices. Stonehenge sees the Heel Stone, which stands outside the main circle, line up with the rising sun on the solstices and the Great Pyramids at Giza appear to be aligned with the sun. When viewed from the Sphinx, the sun sets between the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre during the summer solstice.
One of the most popular celebrations of Summer Solstice takes place at Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. Thousands of people visit Stonehenge on this day to mark the arrival of Summer and Winter Solstices. According to Wikipedia entry, the length of the day could be as long as 24 hours in the Baltic States. Whereas in European countries, the length of the day could be equivalent to around 17 and 18 hours.
During Summer Solstice, the length of the day can vary between 9 hours and 14 hours in Africa. In the Middle East, the length of the day will be equivalent to 14 hours. The length of the day, in the Americas, can be shortest at 9 hours and longest at 21 hours. In India, the length of the day could be around 14 hours on Summer Solstice.
