SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES AFFECTING THE SEASONS - June Solstice is the longest in the year for the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest for the Southern Hemisphere. September Equinox begins to fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. December Solstice begins summer in the Southern Hemisphere and is the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. It begins winter in the Northern Hemisphere and is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. March Equinox begins to fall in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Solstices And Equinoxes Affecting The Seasons

An Overview of Solstices and Equinoxes

By Matt Rosenberg

Here's what you need to know about the June and December solstices and the March and September equinoxes and how they affect the seasons.

June Solstice (Approximately June 20-21)

This day begins summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

This day is the longest in the year for the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest for the Southern Hemisphere.

·       North Pole: The North Pole (90 degrees north latitude) receives 24 hours of daylight, as it has been daylight at the North Pole for the last three months (since the March Equinox). The sun is 66.5 degrees off of the zenith or 23.5 degrees above the horizon.

·       Arctic Circle: It is light 24 hours a day north of the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees north) on the June Solstice. The sun at noon is 43 off zenith.

·       Tropic of Cancer: On the June Solstice the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north latitude) at noon.

·       Equator: At the equator (zero degrees latitude), the day is always 12 hours long. At the equator, the sun rises daily at 6 a.m. local time and sets at 6 p.m. local time. The sun at noon at the equator is 23.5 degrees off the zenith.

·       Tropic of Capricorn: In the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun is low in the sky, at 47 degrees from the zenith (23.5 plus 23.5).

·       Antarctic Circle: At the Antarctic Circle (66.5 degrees south), the sun makes the briefest of appearances at noon, peeking at the horizon and then instantaneously disappearing. All areas south of the Antarctic Circle are dark on the June Solstice.

South Pole: By June 21, it has been dark for three months at the South Pole (90 degrees south latitude. The sunset at the South Pole on The September Equinox.

September Equinox (Approximately September 22-23)

This day begins to fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

There are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface on the two equinoxes.

Sunrise is at 6 a.m. and sunset is at 6 p.m. local (solar) time for most points on the earth’s surface.

North Pole: The sun is on the horizon at the North Pole on the September Equinox in the morning. The sun sets at the North Pole at noon on the September Equinox and the North Pole remains dark until the March Equinox.

·       Arctic Circle: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun is 66.5 degrees off of the zenith or 23.5 degrees above the horizon.

·       Tropic of Cancer: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun is 23.5 degrees off of the zenith.

·       Equator: The sun is directly overhead the equator at noon on the equinox. On both equinoxes (which means "equal nights" in Latin), the sun is directly over the equator at noon.

·       Tropic of Capricorn: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun is 23.5 degrees off of the zenith.

·       Antarctic Circle: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

·       South Pole: The sun rises at the South Pole after the Pole having been dark for the past six months (since the March Equinox). The sun rises to the horizon and it remains light at the South Pole for six months. Each day, the sun appears to rotate around the South Pole at the same declination angle in the sky.

December Solstice (Approximately December 21-22)

This day begins summer in the Southern Hemisphere and is the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. It begins winter in the Northern Hemisphere and is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

·       North Pole: At the North Pole, it has been dark of three months (since the September Equinox). It remains dark for another three (until the March Equinox).

·       Arctic Circle: The sun makes the briefest of appearances at noon, peeking at the horizon and then instantaneously disappearing. All areas north of the Arctic Circle are dark on the June Solstice.

·       Tropic of Cancer: The sun is low in the sky, at 47 degrees from the zenith (23.5 plus 23.5) at noon.

·       Equator: The sun is 23.5 degrees from zenith at noon.

·       Tropic of Capricorn: The sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn on the December Solstice.

·       Antarctic Circle: It is light 24 hours a day south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5 degrees north) on the June Solstice. The sun at noon is 47 off zenith.

·       South Pole: The South Pole (90 degrees south latitude) receives 24 hours of daylight, as it has been daylight at the South Pole for the last three months (since the September Equinox). The sun is 66.5 degrees off of the zenith or 23.5 degrees above the horizon. It will remain light at the South Pole for another three months.

March Equinox (Approximately March 20-21)

This day begins to fall in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

There are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface on the two equinoxes.

Sunrise is at 6 a.m. and sunset is at 6 p.m. local (solar) time for most points on the earth’s surface.

·       North Pole: The sun is on the horizon at the North Pole on the March Equinox. The sun rises at the North Pole at noon to the horizon on the March Equinox and the North Pole remains light until the September Equinox.

·       Arctic Circle: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun is 66.5 off zenith and low in the sky at 23.5 degrees above the horizon.

·       Tropic of Cancer: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun is 23.5 degrees off of the zenith.

·       Equator: The sun is directly overhead the equator at noon on the equinox. On both equinoxes, the sun is directly over the equator at noon.

·       Tropic of Capricorn: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun is 23.5 degrees off of the zenith.

·       Antarctic Circle: Experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

·       South Pole: The sun sets at the South Pole at noon after the Pole has been light for the past six months (since the September Equinox). The day begins on the horizon in the morning and by the end of the day, the sun has set.

Matt Rosenberg

·   Award-winning professional geographer

·   Author of two books on geography

Experience

Matt Rosenberg is a former writer for ThoughtCo. He covered geography for ThoughtCo and About.com for over 20 years. He was an adjunct professor of geography at California State University, Sacramento, a city planning and GIS intern for local government, and is a former newspaper columnist.

Rosenberg has been featured on PBS and NPR, and he has conducted many interviews about geographical topics for television, radio, and newspapers. He was director of emergency services for the American Red Cross and served on more than two dozen major disaster relief operations around the United States. He has traveled widely across North America and has visited or studied in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He is a member of the Association of American Geographers and the National Council for Geographic Education.Education

Matt Rosenberg holds a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of California, Davis and a master's degree in geography from California State University, Northridge. Publications

·   "The Handy Geography Answer Book" (Barnes & Noble, 2004)

·   "The Geography Bee Complete Preparation Handbook" (Three Rivers Press, 2002) Awards

·   Excellence in Media Award, National Council for Geographic Education, October 2006ThoughtCo and Dotdash

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https://www.thoughtco.com/the-four-seasons-p2-1435322