Sunday’s Summer Solstice: The first day of summer

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Every year, people across South Central Kentucky look forward to the day their calendar says “Summer begins.” And the first day of summer occurs during the Summer Solstice. So, what exactly is the Summer Solstice?

Earth tilts on its axis at 23.5 degrees which means, as a planet, the North Pole doesn’t point straight up. It’s actually offset to the side just a bit. And the part of the earth that tilts changes with the time of the year. During the winter months, the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun while the Southern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun.

On Sunday, we will see our maximum tilt toward the sun, which will give us our longest day of the year as far as daylight is concerned. After Sunday, we’ll see our days shorten by a few seconds to even a couple of minutes each day depending on the day as we slowly make our way back to the shorter days and colder temperatures winter is known for. And while it’s summer for the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere will be experiencing winter and Sunday will be their shortest day of the year.