When is the Summer Solstice?
The date of the 2010 Summer Solstice is Monday 21 June at 11:28 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
What 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.
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.