This morning at 11:54 a.m. EDT, the summer solstice begins, along with the start of summer. While Americans and others in the Northern Hemisphere will experience the longest day of the year, our friends to the south will have their shortest day.
At the North and South poles, the summer solstice marks the halfway point in six months of polar day, or “midnight sun,” for the north and polar night for the south. A summer solstice fun fact – while it is the year’s longest day, it is also when we experience the shortest noontime shadow.