Latest news with #EDT
Fast Company
3 hours ago
- Science
- Fast Company
Summer Solstice 2025: Meaning, how to celebrate, and what to know about the start of the astronomical season
Life is composed of seasons, and today marks the beginning of the hottest one of all for those in the Northern Hemisphere. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the summer solstice takes place today (Friday, June 20) at 10:42 p.m. EDT. Weather permitting, the first official day of astronomical summer sees the most daylight of the year. Let's dive into what all that means and how you can celebrate. What is the science behind the summer solstice? The Earth rotates on its axis every day, creating night and day. According to NASA, its axis is tilted 23.4 degrees. This tilt, as the Earth orbits the sun, creates the seasons. For half of the year, the Northern Hemisphere is pointed at the sun producing summer. The other half, it points away, producing winter. This also means the sun rises and sets at different points in the sky during the orbital process. The summer solstice occurs when the sun is at the highest point in the sky and appears to metaphorically pause there for a time. While scientists can give an exact time for this occurrence, most people celebrate the whole day. Different perspectives on the beginning of summer There are different schools of thought on the starting date for summer. If you ask a meteorologist, she will tell you June 1. This is because meteorologists focus on temperatures, and organizing the months into seasons helps them compare data. The summer solstice focuses on astronomical summer. This begins June 20-22 each year when the sun reaches the northernmost point in the sky. Why is there more daylight on the summer solstice? Most people say the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, but there are 24 hours in a day, regardless of the time of year. The 'longest day' moniker actually refers to the number of daylight hours. Because the sun is at its highest point, it takes longer to rise and set, granting more light. What does Stonehenge have to do with the summer solstice? While many unanswered questions remain about Stonehenge—the famous large circular stone monument located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England—one fact is certain. Its creation was meant to line up with the sun during solstices. In the summer, it is breathtaking to see the sun rising behind the Heel Stone, causing its rays to pour into the center of the structure. How can I celebrate the summer solstice? No matter where you are located, you can celebrate the day and watch the festivities at Stonehenge. English Heritage, the organization manages the popular tourist attraction will live-stream the summer solstice festivities, beginning on June 20 at 20:00 BST. The stream will start the following day at 04:00 GMT and sunrise takes place at 04:52 GMT.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
See NASA's image of an intense X-class solar flare
NASA captured an image of an intense solar flare released by the sun on Tuesday evening. The solar flare peaked at 5:49 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said. It was an X-class flare — the most intense kind, NASA said. Solar flares are essentially "giant explosions on the sun" that send energy, light and high-speed particles into space, according to NASA. An image captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun, colorized in teal to draw attention to the flare. The flare is visible as a bright flash at the center of the sun. The heat of a solar flare causes it to appear bright. The energy from solar flares can be disruptive, NASA says on its website. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals. They also can pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. Solar flares are also often associated with coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. CMEs are huge bubbles of coronal plasma that the sun occasionally ejects, NASA says online. Often, CMEs look like "huge, twisted ropes," NASA says, because they involve the sun's magnetic fields. Coronal mass ejections can also disrupt radio and satellite communications, and can also cause geomagnetic storms on Earth. In May 2024, a powerful coronal mass ejection brought the strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years to Earth. During the CME, multiple X-class solar flares were recorded. The storm caused some radio blackouts. Another strong geomagnetic storm in October 2024 led to the northern lights being visible as far south as Florida and over bright areas like New York City and Chicago. Teen questioned after family's quadruple murder Iranians evacuate capital Tehran, some say the regime is frightened Parents, brother of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman speak about her death
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
See NASA's image of an intense X-class solar flare
NASA captured an image of an intense solar flare released by the sun on Tuesday evening. The solar flare peaked at 5:49 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said. It was an X-class flare — the most intense kind, NASA said. Solar flares are essentially "giant explosions on the sun" that send energy, light and high-speed particles into space, according to NASA. An image captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun, colorized in teal to draw attention to the flare. The flare is visible as a bright flash at the center of the sun. The heat of a solar flare causes it to appear bright. The energy from solar flares can be disruptive, NASA says on its website. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals. They also can pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. Solar flares are also often associated with coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. CMEs are huge bubbles of coronal plasma that the sun occasionally ejects, NASA says online. Often, CMEs look like "huge, twisted ropes," NASA says, because they involve the sun's magnetic fields. Coronal mass ejections can also disrupt radio and satellite communications, and can also cause geomagnetic storms on Earth. In May 2024, a powerful coronal mass ejection brought the strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years to Earth. During the CME, multiple X-class solar flares were recorded. The storm caused some radio blackouts. Another strong geomagnetic storm in October 2024 led to the northern lights being visible as far south as Florida and over bright areas like New York City and Chicago. Teen questioned after family's quadruple murder Iranians evacuate capital Tehran, some say the regime is frightened Parents, brother of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman speak about her death
CBS News
2 days ago
- Science
- CBS News
See NASA's image of an intense X-class solar flare
NASA released a remarkable video from its Solar Dynamics Observatory of a flare erupting from the sun NASA released a remarkable video from its Solar Dynamics Observatory of a flare erupting from the sun NASA captured an image of an intense solar flare released by the sun on Tuesday evening. The solar flare peaked at 5:49 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said. It was an X-class flare — the most intense kind, NASA said. Solar flares are essentially "giant explosions on the sun" that send energy, light and high-speed particles into space, according to NASA. An image captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun, colorized in teal to draw attention to the flare. The flare is visible as a bright flash at the center of the sun. The heat of a solar flare causes it to appear bright. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare — seen as the bright flash near the middle of the image — on June 17, 2025. NASA/SDO The energy from solar flares can be disruptive, NASA says on its website. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals. They also can pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. Solar flares are also often associated with coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. CMEs are huge bubbles of coronal plasma that the sun occasionally ejects, NASA says online. Often, CMEs look like "huge, twisted ropes," NASA says, because they involve the sun's magnetic fields. Coronal mass ejections can also disrupt radio and satellite communications, and can also cause geomagnetic storms on Earth. In May 2024, a powerful coronal mass ejection brought the strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years to Earth. During the CME, multiple X-class solar flares were recorded. The storm caused some radio blackouts. Another strong geomagnetic storm in October 2024 led to the northern lights being visible as far south as Florida and over bright areas like New York City and Chicago.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
EA FC 25 servers down and when you can connect to Ultimate Team again
Players are struggling to connect to EA FC 25 Ultimate Team due to issues with the EA FC 25 servers EA FC 25 is experiencing some downtime right now, meaning that until it ends, you'll have no chance to play any matches with your pals. EA FC 25 Ultimate Team has hit new heights now that the Shapeshifters Team 1 has been revealed, with the promo featuring high-rated players in mixed-up positions. The Shapeshifters promotion has certainly seen a lot of change introduced to the expected flow of the game, and players have been getting stuck in. There are great Shapeshifters rewards on offer in Rivals at the moment, but frustratingly, players are going to have to deal with some EA FC 25 downtime before tomorrow's cut-off, with EA Sports ' scheduled EA FC 25 downtime meaning you can't access any online features. The server shutdown won't last quite as long as the game's recent over-seven-hour downtime, but players are going to be waiting outside the stadium gates regardless. But when precisely can we expect the EA FC 25 downtime to end? Here's what you need to know about the game's current server maintenance and when you can jump back into EA FC 25 again. EA FC 25 servers down – The EA FC 25 server downtime began at 1am PDT / 4am EDT / 9am BST on Wednesday, June 18, and is set to come to a close at 5am PDT / 8am EDT / 1pm BST, according to a new tweet from the @EASFCDirect Twitter account. Match creation was suspended for thirty minutes ahead of the maintenance, and is spread across the most recent EA Sports FC titles – EA FC 25, EA FC 24 and even FIFA 23 on all platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Recent downtimes have lasted as little as an hour, so this is frustrating news for some, but it could be far worse, with players suffering more than seven hours in the server maintenance limbo back in May. There is still a chance that the downtime could last longer than expected, with December's extended EA FC 25 downtime taking players out of the game beyond its promised six hours of closure, but our fingers are crossed that we'll be back and involved shortly. You can still access offline game modes in EA FC 25, such as kick-off and Career Mode, but if you're looking to grind out in Ultimate Team and earn some Rivals points are complete some Evolutions, you'll have to wait until later today.
