Where In Sussex

It’s the summer solstice today, the “longest” day of the year.  The actual solstice happened at 2359UTC on 20th but as we are in BST at the moment, it did just manage to fall inside 21st June at 0059!

The solstice is when the earth is at it’s maximum “tilt” one way or the other, so you get a very long day and very short night or short day and long night (depending on if you are in the northern or southern hemisphere and if it’s summer or winter!).  I believ

e the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn mark the points either side of the Equator where the sun is directly overhead at these dates.

One advantage of being reasonably north is that, although

the weather is always bloody cold (never above 37°C) you get long evenings in the summer.  In the Northern Isles of Scotchland, it is light for 24 hours a day at this time of year.

I took these pictures at 2130 - not that late, but it shows how light it does stay.  This is the first year I have really appreciated this for a long time, as I was working until 2300 most nights for about eight years, so I didn’t really get to spend time outside in the evening.  This year I’m loving it!