With the heat warnings this past week, it is hard to believe that summer is not even here yet.  But that is all about to change this afternoon at 5:51pm.  Today’s Summer Solstice is the earliest it has been for 200 years.

The longest day of the year is here, and it’s the earliest

Apparently earlier summers will be a trend that continues for a while.

Why is this solstice so early?

The reason this year’s solstice is the earliest since 1796 is because of the way the calendar is designed. The Earth doesn’t orbit the sun in precisely 365 days, so the Gregorian calendar adds leap years every four years, inserting an extra day in the calendar to keep things on track.
But there’s a quirk in how leap years are calculated. Years that begin with 00 are only leap years if the year is also divisible by 400. Over the course of 400 years, that means the planet loses three leap years, shifting time slightly and making things too fast by about 45 minutes.
That means the solstice this year is about 45 minutes earlier than previous years. It’s a trend that will continue until 2096, the solstice creeping earlier with each orbit around the sun until the calendar resets.

 

So what will you be doing to celebrate the longest day of the year?  I always find that a bit bitter sweet, the longest day means days will start getting shorter starting tomorrow.  There are some traditional events that happen each year on this day to celebrate the start of summer.

5 summer solstice celebrations in the northern hemisphere

 

This year you don’t have to go halfway around the world, we have an event locally to celebrate the start of summer.  Music, vendors and a chance to lose yourself in a maze at the BernArt Maze on Highway 325.  Sounds like a good way to welcome summer after another HOT spring day.  Have fun and Happy Summer!