Mon, Jun 20 2016 - Solstice SunRISE at Stone Mountain! (View Original Event Details)
|  |
Salutations to the Sun! What a glorious sunrise on the first day of Summer! No headlamps needed as our group of 8 started the climb to the summit at 5:45 a.m. We had the full moon over our right shoulder and the morning twilight to the left. Most of us arrived at the top about 15 minutes before sunrise, though it seemed like it was already full daylight by that time. We were rewarded for crawling out of bed early this morning with a bright ball of fire on the northeastern horizon and a great group of fellow early birds to share the moment. Our group grew to 11 once we arrived at the top as Angela, Julie, and Maia joined us.
The 2016 solstice occurs at 6:34 p.m. Eastern Time today, marking the first day of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year in Earth’s northern hemisphere. Did you ever notice that the dusk lingers a bit longer around the summer solstice? The solstice brings not only the longest day of the year, but also the longest period of morning and evening twilight in the Northern Hemisphere. Because the summer solstice is the shortest night of the year, the sun doesn’t drop as far below the horizon. As the sun sets, its path on the celestial sphere slowly curves below the horizon instead of dropping quickly. The shallow angle at which the sun crosses the horizon allows light to linger longer both before sunrise and after sunset.
Every year on the June solstice, the sun’s direct rays reach their northernmost position on the Earth and the North Pole also reaches its maximum annual tilt toward the sun. Now that we have reached the apex of that tilt, the earth will begin tilting toward the south and the days will become shorter. I can't wait for our Sunset hike this evening to close out the longest day of the year!
Calendar of Events
Event Places