Summer solstice: Revellers greet sunrise on longest day of the year
The sun has risen on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Sunday is the summer solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator; it is the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and astronomical winter will start. Abo
By Anna Loren
The sun has risen on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Sunday is the summer solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator; it is the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and astronomical winter will start.
About 20,000 people flocked to Stonehenge in Wiltshire to watch the sunrise from the ancient monument, which was designed to align with the sun’s paths at the solstices.
Many people also gathered for sunrise swims at beaches around the UK.
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol”, for sun, and “stitium”, which can mean “pause” or “stop”.