Summer Solstice on December 22

Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 1:30 pm
Press Release: Carter Observatory

Carter Observatory

The National Observatory of New Zealand

The Summer Solstice is at 13:22 (1:22pm) on December 22. This is when the Sun is at its most Southerly point in the sky and therefore reaches its maximum altitude for the year at the middle of the day.

Mathematically, the longest day is December 22 and the shortest night is December 22/23. We say mathematically, as the days and nights are longest or shortest by only a few seconds, whereas actual Sunrise and Sunset times can vary by up to 3 or 4 minutes with the calculated times, due to atmospheric conditions.

Brian Carter, Senior Astronomer at Carter Observatory says, “After December 22, the length of the day will slowly shorten, although this will hardly be noticed for a few weeks”.

ENDS

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