Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. (context astronomy English) The moment when the Earth is in that point of its orbit where the northern or southern hemisphere is most inclined '''toward''' the sun.
WordNet
n. June 21, when the sun is at its northernmost point [syn: June 21, midsummer] [ant: winter solstice]
Wikipedia
Summer solstice is the astronomical phenomenon that occurs on the longest day of the year.
Summer solstice may also refer to:
Media- Summer Solstice (2005 film), made-for-television film based on a story by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Summer Solstice (2003 film), independent feature film directed by George Fivas, based on the story "Atlantic Summer" by Jeffrey Gold
- Summer Solstice: Bee Stings, 1998 experimental music album, part 2 of the four part Seasons collective created by Coil
- Summer Solstice (album), 1971 folk music album by Maddy Prior and Tim Hart
Summer Solstice is a 1971 album by Maddy Prior and Tim Hart. The album was recorded after the duo had joined Steeleye Span. The songs are mostly pastoral, with subtle understated instrumental accompaniment. It differs from the duo's previous two Folk Songs Of Old England albums in its use of multitracking techniques (both on vocals and instruments), as well as additional flourishes of electric instruments on three tracks. The 1991 CD was issued on the Shanachie label.
The summer solstice occurs when a planet's rotational axis, in either northern or southern hemispheres, is most inclined toward the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23° 26′. This happens twice each year (once in each hemisphere), at which times the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the north or the south pole.
The summer solstice or aestival solstice occurs during a hemisphere's summer. This is the northern solstice in the northern hemisphere and the southern solstice in the southern hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere. The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the winter solstice.
When on a geographic pole, the Sun reaches its greatest height, the moment of solstice, it can be noon only along that longitude which at that moment lies in the direction of the Sun from the pole. For other longitudes, it is not noon. Noon has either passed or has yet to come. Hence the notion of a solstice day is useful. The term is colloquially used like midsummer to refer to the day on which solstice occurs. The summer solstice day has the longest period of daylight – except in the polar regions, where daylight is continuous, from a few days to six months around the summer solstice.
2016 was the first time in nearly 70 years that a full moon and the summer solstice concur on the same day. The 2016 summer solstice's full moon will rise just as the Sun sets. The moment of the full moon is early Monday on June 20.
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with holidays, festivals, and rituals around that time with themes of religion or fertility.
Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).
Summer Solstice is a 2005 German-produced two-part television film, a sequel to the novel Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, which was made a TV film in 2004. This film, however, is not based on a novel, but was written by Pilcher directly for the screen. It stars Jason Durr, Jacqueline Bisset, Sinéad Cusack, Honor Blackman and Franco Nero.
Summer Solstice tells a story set in coastal Maine, a reflective coming-of-age tale starring George Fivas as Joshua Ballard, a brilliant but aimless and misunderstood college student who finds solace in composing music and writing. But when his anguished state of mind leads him to cross paths with contemplative lighthouse keeper Seth Arden ( Joe Estevez) and his niece Andrea Bettencourt (Brook Jenell Slack, voiced Jelly Otter in Disney's PB&J Otter from 1998–2000), the encounter leads Joshua to transcend a personal crisis through an odyssey of self-discovery, and accept the compassion of his friends, old and new, which ultimately saves his life. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Karen Black ( Five Easy Pieces and The Great Gatsby) plays a stern university professor. Joshua's college friends are played by Lindsay Pulsipher ( HBO's True Blood, A&E's The Beast) and Nathan Rollins. The screenplay is based on a story by playwright, composer, physicist, and mathematician Jeffrey Gold. The film features the lighthouse Pemaquid Point Light and surrounding coastal areas and towns of Maine and music by popular Maine native, Tim Janis (known for his numerous specials on the American Public Broadcasting Service). The film was directed by George Fivas, a published scientist and a founder of the jazz and popular music group, Apollo.
Usage examples of "summer solstice".
On this night of the summer solstice, the beginning of the three weeks of madness celebrating the rising of the river, Ptolemy the Second, called Philadelphus, stood on his balcony and looked out over the royal harbor.
Ptolemy, the day of the summer solstice, I measured the angle of the sun at high noon.
Syene, where the finest red granite is quarried, a tall pole casts no shadow at noon on the day of the summer solstice, and the sun shines directly into the wells.
It means the summer solstice, and great festivities throughout the land, going on for days.
On this night of the summer solstice, the beginning of the three weeks of madness celebrating the rising of the river.