June is a month to look forward to for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the summer solstice occurring for people living in the northern hemisphere.

The National Weather Service says the summer solstice occurs when the Earth’s tilt toward the sun is at a maximum. When this occurs, the sun appears at its highest elevation, or when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees latitude north. The sun’s noon-time position changes very little for several days before and after the solstice. With this positioning of the sun, people enjoy the longest day of the year in terms of daylight hours.

In 2025, the summer solstice occurs on Friday, June 20 at 1:41 p.m. EDT. Those in the southern hemisphere will have to wait until Dec. 21 at 4:21 a.m. EST for their summer solstice. In celebration of the solstice, explore these facts about this remarkable day.

The summer solstice occurs when one of the Earth’s poles is tilted toward the sun at its most extreme angle.

Per each hemisphere, solstices occur twice a year: the winter and the summer solstice.

Various cultures around the world celebrate the summer solstice with traditions, holidays and festivals.

The summer solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer.

The word “solstice” is derived from Latin and means “sun standing still.”

Depending on one’s latitude, the length of daylight a person can enjoy on the solstice varies. At the equator, the time from sunrise to sunset is roughly 12 hours. At temperate or mid-northern latitudes, the length of daylight lasts about 15 hours, says Space.com.

Solstices do not land on the same calendar day every year because the astronomical year is 365.25 days long. So the solstices shift a day or two each year, but generally fall within the same three days. In the northern hemisphere, those days are June 20, 21 or 22 for the summer solstice.

No one is quite sure who discovered that the solstices occur. According to Owen Gingerich, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and History of Science at Harvard University, “(There is) no writing to record this great discovery.”

The summer solstice often is when the golf season heats up. Many clubs take advantage of the longer days during the week the solstice takes place to host sunrise to sunset golf tournaments.

Although the summer solstice is the longest day of the year in terms of daylight hours, typically it is not the hottest. It will take some time for the Earth to heat up with a greater tilt toward the sun. Hotter days arrive at the end of July and last into August.