Summer starts this Wednesday, June 21st, at 5:24 am, when the Summer Solstice occurs (in the Northern Hemisphere). It is on this day that the sun reaches the highest point in the sky all year round.
It is also the biggest day of the year, with the sun rising between 5:50 am in Bragança and 6:15 am in the Algarve, and setting between 20:55 in Faro, and shortly after 21 pm in the North of Mainland Portugal.
In the Azores, the sun rises around 7:20 am and sets around 22:10 pm, while in Madeira it rises around 7:00 am and sets around 21:20 pm.
Summer continues until September 22, when, at 20:02 pm, the equinox takes place, which marks the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere.
In astronomy, solstice (from Latin Salt + keep, which does not move) is the moment when the Sun, during its apparent movement in the celestial sphere, reaches its greatest declination in latitude, measured from the equator.
The solstices occur twice a year: in December (winter) and June (summer). The exact day and time varies from year to year. When it occurs in summer, it means that the length of the day is the longest in the year. Similarly, when it occurs in winter, it means that the night length is the longest in the year.
Comments