Happy Summer Solstice 2026!

Today, June 21st, 2026, at 4:24 am, is the Summer Solstice and officially the beginning of Summer. For those of us in the northern hemisphere it is the longest day of the year. However, for folks in the southern hemisphere, it is the shortest. More technically, the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which defines the Summer Solstice for us and the Winter Solstice for the southern hemisphere. The Sun is over the Tropic of Capricorn at our Winter Solstice and over the Equator at the Equinoxes.

If you like stargazing, this is not the best time to view the night sky. It doesn’t get dark until very late (thank you daylight savings time) and the humidity is usually high giving us a poor view of the night sky (as little as it is). Still you can look for some interesting objects in the summer sky, particularly around the summer triangle (Altair, Vega, and Deneb). If you look toward the north just after sunset, you will notice that the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is falling lower in the sky, but Cassiopeia is moving upward.

But, don’t worry, from now on, the nights will be getting longer and the days shorter as we move toward Fall, and the Autumnal Equinox, which begins on September 22, 2026. Look for the great square of Pegasus, which signals the beginning of Fall.