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Syndication: Arizona Republic
(New York, NY) — Friday June 20th officially marks the start of summer. It’s also the longest day of the year. It officially falls at 10:42 p.m. in New York. It’s only happening in the northern hemisphere, while people south of the equator are having their winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year. Residents in Fairbanks, Alaska, for instance, will see nearly 22 hours of daylight.
Many ancient traditions celebrating the day are still around today. They include gathering at Stonehenge in southwest England, which was built around 2500 B.C. The central axis of Stonehenge was aligned with the sunrise at the summer solstice.
