When is the Summer Solstice?

At the time of the Summer Solstice the Sun reaches its highest point in Earth’s sky. It’s at this time that the Sun takes the longest amount of time to cross the sky, giving us the longest day of the year.

Summer Solstice 2015

In the Northern Hemisphere the date of the 2015 Summer Solstice is 21 June at 16:38 UTC

In the Southern Hemisphere the date of the 2015 Summer Solstice is 22 December at 04:48 UTC

Summer Solstice 2016

In the Northern Hemisphere the date of the 2016 Summer Solstice is 20 June at 22:34 UTC

In the Southern Hemisphere the date of the 2016 Summer Solstice is 21 December at 10:44 UTC

Summer Solstice 2017

In the Northern Hemisphere the date of the 2017 Summer Solstice is 21 June at 04:24 UTC

In the Southern Hemisphere the date of the 2017 Summer Solstice is 21 December at 16:28 UTC

Summer Solstice 2018

In the Northern Hemisphere the date of the 2018 Summer Solstice is 21 June at 10:07 UTC

In the Southern Hemisphere the date of the 2018 Summer Solstice is 21 December at 22:23 UTC

Summer Solstice 2019

In the Northern Hemisphere the date of the 2019 Summer Solstice is 21 June at 15:54 UTC

In the Southern Hemisphere the date of the 2019 Summer Solstice is 22 December at 04:19 UTC

Summer Solstice 2020

In the Northern Hemisphere the date of the 2020 Summer Solstice is 20 June at 21:44 UTC

In the Southern Hemisphere the date of the 2020 Summer Solstice is 21 December at 10:02 UTC

What is the Summer Solstice?

The Summer Solstice is caused by the tilting of the Earth’s axis so that the north pole is nearest the Sun.

The date of the Summer Solstice marks the start of the summer. After this date the days grow shorter until the Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year.

The name “Solstice” comes from the Latin for “Sol” (sun) and “sistere” (to stand still). The name solstice was given to this time of the year because the Sun appears come to a stand still in its movement north or south.