The longest day of the year is coming up on Friday, June 20, 2025, when the Northern

Karmactive Staff

Hemisphere will experience the summer solstice at 10:42 PM Eastern Time. This marks the official start of astronomical summer and brings the most daylight hours we'll see all year.

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Earth's 23.5-degree tilt is the star of this cosmic show. When our planet reaches the point in its orbit where the North Pole is maximally tilted toward the sun, we get the longest day and shortest night. The word "solstice" comes from Latin words meaning "sun standing still," describing how the sun appears to pause in its movement along the horizon before beginning its southward journey.

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For those celebrating in Stonehenge, thousands will gather to witness the sunrise at 4:51 AM on June 21 as it pierces through the ancient stone archways. The monument's design, built around 2500 BC, creates this perfect alignment only during the summer solstice.

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"The design of the monument means that on summer solstice the sun rises behind its 'heel stone' and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge," notes the BBC's coverage of the event.

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New Yorkers have several ways to mark the occasion. The Swedish Midsummer Festival at Rockefeller Park offers flower crown-making and traditional maypole dancing from 5-9 PM. In Times Square, free yoga classes run throughout the day, transforming the busy intersection into a peaceful retreat.

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"I see it as a reset, a chance to prepare for the second half of the year, and a reminder not to squander nature's fleeting joys," shares Rossilynne Skena Culgan, a Time Out editor.

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While we enjoy the extra daylight, plants are having their moment too. The increased sunlight boosts photosynthesis, spurring rapid growth in gardens and crops. Animals also respond to these favorable conditions, with many species experiencing peak reproductive activity.

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Don't expect the hottest day of the year to coincide with the solstice, though. Due to "seasonal lag" – the slow heating of oceans and land – peak temperatures typically arrive weeks after the longest day.

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For those tracking the exact timing worldwide, the solstice occurs at 02:42 GMT on June 21 (Universal Time) and at 8:12 AM IST on June 21 in India. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, June 20 marks their winter solstice – the shortest day of their year.

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Weather forecasters have a different take on summer altogether. They consider June 1 the beginning of meteorological summer, dividing the year into four three-month seasons based on temperature patterns rather than Earth's position.

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After enjoying the abundance of sunlight on June 20, we'll gradually lose daylight until we reach the winter solstice on December 21, 2025, at 10:03 AM Eastern Time – the shortest day of the year with only about 9 hours and 17 minutes of daylight.

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