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The Reveller. The Optimist. ES Best. ES Mag. Follow us:. Password Please enter a valid password. Submit Submit. By Charlie Duffield. Tom Herbert. Edwina Langley. A round years ago, the summer solstice was a cause for celebration as it marked a period of growth, warmth and sunshine. Astronomers see the summer solstice as the true start of summer. Meteorologists prefer June 1. Because the time between one sunrise and the times are not the same as sundial times and the summer solstice is not the day of earliest sunrise.

Despite the warm weather, the Earth is actually furthest from the sun near our summer solstice. Technically, the June solstice is the moment when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer. The day is perhaps most strongly linked with pagans, who used it as a marker for planting and harvesting crops. Thousands of people descend on the ancient religious site of Stonehenge in Wiltshire each year to see the sun rise on the summer solstice, with many dressed in flower garlands or druids' robes.

The Neolithic monument is widely believed to be a prehistoric temple built to mark the movements of the sun, according to English Heritage. The heel stone and slaughter stones at the site are aligned with sunrise on summer solstice. The winter solstice, which marks the shortest day of the year with the least hours of daylight, usually happens on or around 21 December. The spring, or vernal, equinox and autumn equinox occur between the solstices and mark the point when the sun is positioned exactly over the equator, meaning daylight and darkness last for around the same amount of time.

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