India witnesses longest day on June 21

The Earth’s pole tilts to 23.5 degrees more than its usual tilt. Thus the Sun travels the longest path through the sky, and that day, therefore, has the most daylight.

Hyderabad: Wednesday happened to be the longest day and had the shortest night of the year.

The day marked the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the phenomenon occurred at 8:27 pm in India.

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The summer solstice is an astronomical phenomenon caused by the Earth’s axial tilt. It is marked to celebrate the beginning of astronomical summer or mid-summer as at this time, the Earth’s pole is on the maximum tilt towards the sun. The annual phenomenon falls around June 20, or 21 every year.

The Earth’s pole tilts to 23.5 degrees more than its usual tilt. Thus the Sun travels the longest path through the sky, and that day, therefore, has the most daylight.

On the day of the solstice, the Sun reaches its northernmost position at the Tropic of Cancer, after which it stands still before reversing its direction and moving south again. After June 21, the days start to get shorter and the nights become longer.

The Tropic of Cancer passes through Mexico, northern Africa, the Middle East, India, and China and hence these countries experience unique astronomical phenomenon.

According to NASA, the word “solstice” in Latin means “Sun stands still.” The phenomenon happens twice in a year, once for each hemisphere. Summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere occurs around March 20, or 21 every year.