The month of June is originated from the Roman goddess Juno, patroness of marriage and the well-being of women. Also from the Latin word juvenis, “young people”. The solstice on Thursday, June 20, 2024, happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth; only our clocks are different. In the eastern United States, the solstice occurs at 4:51 P.M. EDT.
Sure, you may know that the summer solstice is the “longest”
day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. But that is a tired factoid. Let’s
learn something new! Here’s a fun quiz to see how much you know already and how
much you can learn.
SUMMER
SOLSTICE QUIZ
1.
How often do solstices happen in a year ?
___________
2.
Where does the word solstice come from?
(hint: Latin words) ______________
3.
Does the solstice occur at the same time or
at different times across the world? ________________________
4.
Is the June solstice always on June 21st?
________________________
5.
Is the June solstice the first day of summer
in the Northern Hemisphere? _______________________________
6.
On the solstice, is the Earth the closest or farthest
from the Sun?
7. Does the earliest sunrise happen on the summer solstice?
8. Is it the longest day of the year everywhere on Earth?
9. On the summer solstice, the Sun reaches its most northernmost position in the sky. It is called the Tropic of ________________.
10. Why isn’t the summer solstice the hottest day
of the year? It is because it takes a few more weeks for the
___________________ and air to warm up.
11. As for the Sun’s visible emissions, its
strongest is the _____________ light. That is why our eyes are maximally
sensitive to that color.
12. The kind of energy the Sun emits most
strongly is not ultraviolet, gamma rays, or even visible light. It is actually
_________________ which is the Sun’s strongest emission and the kind we feel as
heat.
*source from the Old Farmer's Almanac 2024
Answer
Keys
1. Twice a year (June and December)
2. Latin word “sol” (meaning Sun)
& “sister” (meaning to come to a stop or stand still)
3. The exact same instant of time
4. Usually, but can range from June 20 to
June 22
5. To astronomers, yes. But meteorologist, it’s
June 1st.
6. Farthest! It is NOT the DISTANCE but EARTH’s
TILT that matters.
7. Nope. Neither the earliest sunrise nor
the latest sunsets are on this day.
8. No, it is the longest day of the year
only in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the winter solstice in the Southern
Hemisphere. Thus, it is the shortest day of the year in the Southern
Hemisphere.
9. On the summer summer solstice, the Sun
is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer.
10. the oceans
11. green
12. infrared
