--- title: What is the Summer Solstice? Here's Everything to Know description: The summer solstice falls on Friday, June 21. Here's what to know about the longest day of the year. canonical: https://time.com/3928453/summer-solstice-explained/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-19T18:34:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T06:23:30.000Z og:title: Explaining Summer Solstice, the Longest Day of the Year og:description: Solstice falls on Friday, June 21 this year og:url: https://time.com/3928453/summer-solstice-explained/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfda5fc3e9b751dc8/6988556dcd1bbaf9756fbe80/summer-solstice.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Thousands Gather To Celebrate Summer Solstice At Stonehenge og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Explaining Summer Solstice, the Longest Day of the Year twitter:description: Solstice falls on Friday, June 21 this year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfda5fc3e9b751dc8/6988556dcd1bbaf9756fbe80/summer-solstice.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Summer Solstice Is Upon Us. Let Us Explain the Longest Day of the Year by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:23 AM UTCPublished: Jun 19, 2015 6:34 PM UTC  Revellers watch sunrise over Stonehenge during celebrations to mark the summer solstice at the prehistoric monument on June 21, 2014 in Wiltshire, England. Revellers watch sunrise over Stonehenge during celebrations to mark the summer solstice at the prehistoric monument on June 21, 2014 in Wiltshire, England.Rufus Cox—Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:23 AM UTCPublished: Jun 19, 2015 6:34 PM UTC [Sunshine](https://time.com/5181153/sunlight-flu-prevention-study/) revelers in the Northern Hemisphere have been enjoying the days growing longer and the evenings growing brighter; but now, that trend will be reversed. Friday, June 21 is [summer solstice,](https://time.com/5608296/summer-solstice-stonehenge-history/) the longest day of the year above the equator and the turning point after which the sun starts rising later and setting earlier. “Solstice” comes from the Latin _solsitium_, or “[sun](https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4888327/why-sunlight-is-so-good-for-you/) stands still.” The sun does indeed appear to stand still on the [solstice](https://time.com/5486528/google-doodle-winter-solstice/), as it reaches its highest point in the sky. This illusion occurs because the Earth’s is tilted as far as it goes toward the [sun](https://time.com/5610058/norway-island-time-free/).  Revellers watch the sunrise as they celebrate the pagan festival of Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, southern England on June 21, 2018. GEOFF CADDICK—AFP/Getty Images The solstice marks the official first day of [summer](https://time.com/5595668/best-books-summer-2019/), and has been celebrated for its symbolic importance since ancient times. In England, pagans and travelers visit [Stonehenge](https://time.com/5609663/stonehenge-solstice-tunnel/) to watch the sun rise among the stones. In Sweden, the solstice is tied to the celebration of Midsummer, though the date is set at June 24 every year while the date of the summer solstice moves. Whether you stare at the sun, feast, drink or dance, be sure to enjoy the solstice—the days only get darker from here. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3928453/summer-solstice-explained/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3928453/summer-solstice-explained/"},"headline":"Summer Solstice Is Upon Us. Let Us Explain the Longest Day of the Year","datePublished":"2015-06-19T18:34:22.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T06:23:30.000Z","description":"Solstice falls on Sunday, June 21 this year","url":"https://time.com/3928453/summer-solstice-explained/","keywords":["Newsfeed","World"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfda5fc3e9b751dc8/6988556dcd1bbaf9756fbe80/summer-solstice.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfda5fc3e9b751dc8/6988556dcd1bbaf9756fbe80/summer-solstice.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Thousands Gather To Celebrate Summer Solstice At Stonehenge","caption":"Thousands Gather To Celebrate Summer Solstice At Stonehenge","creditText":"Rufus Cox—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3928453/summer-solstice-explained/","name":"Summer Solstice Is Upon Us. Let Us Explain the Longest Day of the Year"}}]}] ```