📅 Sky calendar
June solstice
The longest day north of the equator, and the shortest in the south.
- Next one
- 21 June 2027 at 14:10 UTC, in 234 days
- Longest day
- North of the equator
- Shortest day
- South of the equator
- North of the equator
- Summer begins
- South of the equator
- Winter begins
- The Sun
- Right overhead at noon along the Tropic of Cancer
Did you know?
- “Solstice” comes from Latin words meaning “the Sun stands still”: for a few days its noon height barely changes.
- North of the Arctic Circle the Sun does not set at all around this day.
- The Sun is right overhead at noon along the Tropic of Cancer, about 23.4 degrees north of the equator.
More NASA photos of June solsticeStraight from NASA’s image library, in the app
Explore more
All of night sky
Orion
The Hunter, with three bright stars in a row for his belt.
Ursa Major
The Great Bear, home of the Big Dipper.
Ursa Minor
The Little Bear, with Polaris at the tip of its tail.
Cassiopeia
A bright W of five stars, named after a boastful queen.
Scorpius
The Scorpion, with red Antares at its heart.
Leo
The Lion, whose head is a backwards question mark of stars.