WEBVTT - How Does the Summer Solstice Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Bolga Baum here. On June, the Northern

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<v Speaker 1>Hemisphere experienced its longest day of the year, the day

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<v Speaker 1>when the North Pole is leaning most towards the sun.

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<v Speaker 1>This year, that took place at two pm Eastern Time.

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<v Speaker 1>This annual event is called the summer solstice. For those

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<v Speaker 1>of us in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the day of

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<v Speaker 1>the year that the Arctic Circle receives a full twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four hours of sunlight. The Arctic Circle is a moving

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<v Speaker 1>area whose parameters are dictated by the solstices. Scientists define

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<v Speaker 1>this expanse to quote the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

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<v Speaker 1>as the latitude above which the sun does not set

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<v Speaker 1>on the summer solstice and does not rise on the

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<v Speaker 1>winter solstice. So during the June solstice, the entire circle

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<v Speaker 1>goes through twenty four straight hours of sunlight. Can firstly,

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<v Speaker 1>it has to endure a full day of darkness when

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<v Speaker 1>the December solstice comes around. The tourists in the far

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<v Speaker 1>North flock to watch the sun blazing at midnight on

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<v Speaker 1>every June solstice. This is also the day in which

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<v Speaker 1>the sun reaches its highest point above the horizon. At noon,

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<v Speaker 1>the sun was directly over the Tropic of Cancer. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a latitudinal line located about twenty three point five degrees

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<v Speaker 1>north of the equator. A similar phenomenon takes place on

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<v Speaker 1>the December solstice, when the sun hits the Tropic of Capricorn,

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<v Speaker 1>a southern line located twenty three point five degrees below

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<v Speaker 1>the equator. These numbers line up so cleanly because of

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<v Speaker 1>the tilt of the Earth on its axis, which is

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<v Speaker 1>twenty three point five degrees. But Earth's axial tilt shifts

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<v Speaker 1>incrementally over time. But right now, the Arctic Circle is

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<v Speaker 1>located a little higher than sixty six degrees above the equator,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's creeping northward at a rate of about forty

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<v Speaker 1>five to forty nine feet that's fourteen to fifteen meters

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<v Speaker 1>per air. So travelers in the distant future will need

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<v Speaker 1>to adjust their plans accordingly if they hope to catch

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<v Speaker 1>that midnight sun. For the same reason, the name Tropic

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<v Speaker 1>of Cancer is now an anachronism. This term references the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that two thousand years ago, the Sun used to

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<v Speaker 1>cross in front of the constellation Cancer on the day

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<v Speaker 1>of the June solstice, it now shines closer to Taurus instead. However,

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<v Speaker 1>although no other date on the calendar witnesses more sunlight

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<v Speaker 1>than the summer solstice, this is not the hottest day

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<v Speaker 1>of the year for most of us in the northern Hemisphere.

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<v Speaker 1>It's true that the days up here get progressively shorter

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<v Speaker 1>after the solstice. However, for several weeks in June, July,

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<v Speaker 1>and August, the hemisphere will still receive more heat during

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<v Speaker 1>the day than it loses at night. That's why temperatures

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<v Speaker 1>in the northern half of the globe can to climb

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<v Speaker 1>in mid to late summer despite their being slightly less

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<v Speaker 1>daylight to go around, and this is because it takes

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<v Speaker 1>a few months your winters over the land to begin

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<v Speaker 1>storing heat. Most states in the continental US will experience

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<v Speaker 1>their hottest day of any given year at some point

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<v Speaker 1>between early July and mid August. In parts of the

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<v Speaker 1>West Coast, the hottest days are typically in September. Not

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<v Speaker 1>all planets have similar spreads of seasons and solstices, though,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, Urness has a mind blowing degree axial tilt.

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<v Speaker 1>Because of this and the fact that it takes the

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<v Speaker 1>planet about eighty four earth years to make one rotation

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<v Speaker 1>around the sun. The seasons are staggeringly long there. The

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<v Speaker 1>last summer solstice in Urnaes northern hemisphere took place in

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<v Speaker 1>and the north next winter solstice won't come until Compare

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<v Speaker 1>that with Earth, which sees the solstice every six months.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article five things you

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know about the Summer Solstice on House to works

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<v Speaker 1>dot com, written by Mark Mancini. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>by Heart Radio and partnership with house at works dot

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<v Speaker 1>Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from my heart Radio. Visit their heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.