COURTESY OF NASA / DSCOVR EPIC (
These images from NASA ’ s DSCOVR mission shows the Sun-facing side o ( right ). Notice how much of each hemisphere is visible in each photo ; Dec South America and much of Antarctica and the South Pole , but only some Hemisphere and shows the North Pole and the entirety of North America ,
Solstice shadows re
By DAVID PROSPER
NASA Night Sky Network
Solstices mark the changing of seasons , occur twice a year , and feature the year ’ s shortest and longest daylight hours - depending on your hemisphere . These extremes in the length of day and night make solstice days more noticeable to many observers than the subtle equality of day and night experienced during equinoxes . Solstices were some of our earliest astronomical observations , celebrated throughout history via many summer and winter celebrations . Solstices occur twice yearly . In 2022 the solstice dates are June 21 at 5:13 am EDT ( 9:13 UTC ), and December 21 at 4:48pm EST ( 21:48 UTC ). The June solstice marks the moment when the Sun is at its northernmost position in relation to Earth ’ s equator , and the December solstice marks its southernmost position . The summer
32 solstice occurs on th the Sun reaches its at solar noon for reg of the tropics , and t experience the long daylight for the yea during the winter so at its lowest point a the year and observ tropics experience t of daylight- and the the year . The June solstice m beginning of summe Northern Hemisphe for Southern Hemis in December the op a result of the tilt of rotation . For examp the Northern Hemis more direct light fro the Southern Hemis June solstice . Earth ’ s tilt is enoug polar regions experi