Summer solstice – the longest day, how is the date fixed and other answers to other questions UK News

While the significance of June 21 might not really register in the middle of the wave of another busy start to the week, it is an important date because it is the longest day of the year. .

But that does mean that those longer, lighter nights will now start to get shorter and that thought still casts a bit of shadow for those who haven’t even thought about their annual family vacation yet.

But at the same time, it’s only the beginning of summer.

These seasonal start and end dates have always been confusing.

Television meteorologists saw the arrival of the summer season on June 1.

And once again, this sparks off the big debate over the UK season and leads to all sorts of confusion and calendar checks until forecasters explain that the date they mark relates to the start of the season, meteorologically speaking. .

But anyone can tell (and it is not easy) is wondering, because officially summer does not begin until June and does not end until September 22, which is the most commonly accepted date.

So why is this the case – and who decides the date?

Why do meteorologists launch winter early?

To keep it simple. The way meteorologists divide the four seasons of the year into three-month periods also tends to correspond with most people’s “feeling” for the seasons.

So how do they define the seasons?

Summer arrives from June and lasts until the end of August; fall is from September 1 to the end of November; Winter runs from December to February and spring runs from early March to late May.

How does this help them?

The Met Office sticks to this guide so it can systematically compare weather changes from year to year.

What is the “official” seasonal distribution?

Historically, it is the astronomical method that has been used to divide the seasons of the year into about three months each.

How does this work?

It’s more complicated. The beginnings of the seasons are decided according to where the sun shines on the surface of the Earth (everything is related to the inclination of the axis of the planet in its orbit; solstices and equinoxes).

Everyone has heard of the solstices, but what are they?

There are two per year: a summer and winter solstice, as well as a spring and fall equinox, which are the transition points between the seasons.

Summer begins at the summer solstice – but the date of this is also subject to debate – and it is marked by the longest day: the time when the direct sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon ( the northernmost point of the planet above the Tropic of Cancer).

The winter solstice is when it reaches its lowest point (the southernmost point in the Tropic of Capricorn).

And the equinoxes?

There are also two. Autumn and spring begin at the equinoxes which are the times when the sun passes south or north over the equator.

The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equal night” and day and night have about the same length only at these two times of the year (when the sun is directly on the equator).

How do the dates of the season compare to those of meteorologists?

None of the “moments” mentioned above occur at exactly the same time each year. So while summer traditionally begins on June 21 and fall begins on September 22, winter can be December 21 or 22 and spring can vary between March 19 and 21. The “official” start and end dates for seasons tend to be much later than most people realize.

When will summer officially end?

The astronomical answer is September 22 when fall takes over.

What’s going on so far?

The days will continue to shorten throughout the year until December 21, due to the northern hemisphere starting to move away from the sun, so we get less direct light and heat.

After that they will gradually clear up and we can expect the Spring Equinox to reverse the trend with days lengthening towards next summer.

How do we remember the seasonal differences?

If this all sounds complicated, just remember that the mysterious celestial events occur about three weeks after meteorologists give the signal.

Is that right?

No, to add to the mix there is also a third way to determine the start of each season. It is the phenological method which has nothing to do with calendars and which has everything to do with nature.

How it works?

It marks the new seasons with changes in plants, such as bud blooming or colors changing from green to gold, and in animal behavior, such as the start of reproduction, migration or hibernation.