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solstice
astronomy
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seasonal configuration of Earth and Sun
- Related Topics:
- Sun season winter solstice summer solstice celestial sphere
solstice, either of the two moments in the year when the Sun’s apparent path is farthest north or south from Earth’s Equator. In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 and the winter solstice on December 21 or 22. The situation is exactly the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed. At the winter solstice the day is the year’s shortest, and at the summer solstice it is the year’s longest. The term solstice also is used in reference to either of the two points of greatest deviation of the ecliptic (the ...(100 of 200 words)