Photo: That moon.
Today, June 20, is the Summer Solstice, the longest “day” of the year. Sunrise in Belmont is 5:07 a.m. with sunset at 8:24 p.m., or 15 hours and 17 minutes of sunlight.
But that’s not as long as London, where the sun will rise at 4.45 a.m. and sunset at 10.34 p.m.
Since the sun is at its highest point of the year in the northern hemisphere, check out your shadow at 1 p.m.; it’s your shortest shadow of the year.
Summer officially begins at 6:34 p.m. on Monday, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
And 2016 is a special year, as the solstice coincides with the full moon, known as the “Strawberry Moon” – or Full Rose Moon in Europe – which is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence as the two events coincide once every 70 years. The last time the solstice and the Strawberry Moon occurred at almost the same time was in 1948.
The forecast for Monday is for clear skies all day until midnight, so there will be great viewing of the moon rise.
Around the time of the summer solstice, is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest. Next to Christmas, Midsummer which occurs from June 21-23, is Scandinavia’s most popular holiday. In Sweden, it’s traditional to eat your way through the entire day, which means eating a lot of potatoes and herring as well as the first strawberries of the year.