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The Independent
7 hours ago
- Science
- The Independent
Astronomer reveals the exact time of this year's summer solstice
The summer solstice marks the official start of summer. It brings the longest day and shortest night of the year for the 88 per cent of Earth 's people who live in the Northern Hemisphere. People around the world traditionally observe the change of seasons with bonfires and festivals, and Fête de la Musique celebrations. Astronomers can calculate an exact moment for the solstice, when Earth reaches the point in its orbit where the North Pole is angled closest to the Sun. That moment will be at 10.42pm Eastern Time on June 20 this year - or 3.42am on June 21 in the United Kingdom. In Europe, Africa and points eastward, the moment of the equinox falls on June 21 locally, making that the day of the solstice. From Earth, the Sun will appear farthest north relative to the stars. People living on the Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north of the Equator, will see the Sun pass straight overhead at noon. Six months from now, the Sun will reach its southern extreme and pass overhead for people on the Tropic of Capricorn, and northerners will experience their shortest days of the year at the winter solstice. The Sun's angle relative to Earth's equator changes so gradually close to the solstices that, without instruments, the shift is difficult to perceive for about 10 days. This is the origin of the word solstice, which means 'solar standstill.' This slow shift means that daylight on June 20 is only about 2 seconds longer than on June 21, at mid-northern latitudes in the United States. It will be about a week before there's more than a minute change to the calculated amount of daylight. Even that's an approximation — Earth's atmosphere bends light over the horizon by different amounts depending on weather, which can introduce changes of more than a minute to sunrise and sunset times. Monuments at Stonehenge in England, Karnak in Egypt, and Chankillo in Peru reveal that people around the world have taken note of the Sun's northern and southern travels for more than 5,000 years. From Stonehenge's circle of standing stones, the Sun will rise directly over an ancient avenue leading away to the northeast on the solstice. We know little about the people who built Stonehenge, or why they went to such great effort to construct it, moving multi-ton stones from rock outcrops as far as 140 miles away. All this to mark the spot on the horizon where the Sun returns each year to rest for a while before moving south again. Perhaps they, like us, celebrated this signal of the coming change of seasons. Stephen Schneider is a Professor of Astronomy at UMass Amherst.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Astronomer reveals the exact minute of this year's summer solstice
The summer solstice marks the official start of summer. It brings the longest day and shortest night of the year for the 88 per cent of Earth 's people who live in the Northern Hemisphere. People around the world traditionally observe the change of seasons with bonfires and festivals, and Fête de la Musique celebrations. Astronomers can calculate an exact moment for the solstice, when Earth reaches the point in its orbit where the North Pole is angled closest to the Sun. That moment will be at 10.42pm Eastern Time on June 20 this year - or 3.42am on June 21 in the United Kingdom. In Europe, Africa and points eastward, the moment of the equinox falls on June 21 locally, making that the day of the solstice. From Earth, the Sun will appear farthest north relative to the stars. People living on the Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north of the Equator, will see the Sun pass straight overhead at noon. Six months from now, the Sun will reach its southern extreme and pass overhead for people on the Tropic of Capricorn, and northerners will experience their shortest days of the year at the winter solstice. The Sun's angle relative to Earth's equator changes so gradually close to the solstices that, without instruments, the shift is difficult to perceive for about 10 days. This is the origin of the word solstice, which means 'solar standstill.' This slow shift means that daylight on June 20 is only about 2 seconds longer than on June 21, at mid-northern latitudes in the United States. It will be about a week before there's more than a minute change to the calculated amount of daylight. Even that's an approximation — Earth's atmosphere bends light over the horizon by different amounts depending on weather, which can introduce changes of more than a minute to sunrise and sunset times. Monuments at Stonehenge in England, Karnak in Egypt, and Chankillo in Peru reveal that people around the world have taken note of the Sun's northern and southern travels for more than 5,000 years. From Stonehenge's circle of standing stones, the Sun will rise directly over an ancient avenue leading away to the northeast on the solstice. We know little about the people who built Stonehenge, or why they went to such great effort to construct it, moving multi-ton stones from rock outcrops as far as 140 miles away. All this to mark the spot on the horizon where the Sun returns each year to rest for a while before moving south again. Perhaps they, like us, celebrated this signal of the coming change of seasons. Stephen Schneider is a Professor of Astronomy at UMass Amherst.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Council considers ban on garden bonfires
A west London council is considering creating a byelaw to ban people from having bonfires in their gardens, with the aim of reducing pollution. The proposal by Hammersmith and Fulham Council would prevent burning household or garden waste outside, but would not apply to barbecues, domestic fire-pits and indoor wood burning, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. According to Public Health England, deaths from particulate air pollution in Hammersmith and Fulham in 2023 were one per cent above the England average. A new byelaw can take up to six months to establish, requires a public consultation and the outline of the byelaw must also be approved by the Secretary of State. Particulate pollution (PM) refers to the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air that can be either naturally occurring or human-made. The council must carry out studies of the borough's domestic wood burning emissions and an analysis on the impacts of outdoor fires on public health. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils must investigate smoke complaints if it is considered a "statutory nuisance" which can lead to an abatement notice requiring it to stop or be reduced. However, Hammersmith and Fulham Council says this law is "reactive" - it only applies if someone complains and doesn't ban burning outright, hence their proposed byelaw. "Outdoor fires and wood burning create harmful particulate matter emissions, for which it is considered there is no safe level," a report by the council said. "Short term exposure to high particulate matter emissions can cause asthma episodes and play a part in a multitude of other longer-term effects." The byelaw would have "climate adaptation and resilience benefits" reducing the risk of fires becoming "out of control" in warmer and drier weather, the report added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Hammersmith & Fulham Borough Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
