Summer Solstice - Longest Day 2021

This week on the 22^nd December 2021 is the Summer Solstice here in the Southern Hemisphere. The sunsets can now be enjoyed at Kingston as the sun has reached its most South-Western position for the year and the same for the very early sunrise can be seen towards the South-Eastern horizon. The Summer Solstice is when the sun reaches its highest point for the year.

I checked out the details online and the information says the summer solstice for Norfolk Island is on Wednesday, 21 December 2021 at 3:59 am NFDT. It is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. Wednesday will be approximately 14-hour day from Sunrise to Sunset. Sunrise 5.46am and Sunset 7:44pm

December Solstice (Summer Solstice) is on Wednesday, 22 December 2021 at 3:59 am in Kingston. In terms of daylight, this day is 3 hours, 43 minutes longer than on June Solstice. In locations south of Equator, the longest day of the year is around this date. Earliest sunrise is at 5:41am on 3 December 2021.

This month is also the busy time of the year, it may be the shortest night, only about 10 hours long, but for the bakers busy at the bakeries this time of the year is often the longest nights as they prepare lots of treats for Christmas which is only a few days away.

This is the third summer since Norfolk Island introduced Day Light Saving in 2019, the community adjusted Norfolk Island time zone by one hour in the summertime. Many of the locals are now enjoying the longer evenings after work. They can have a BBQ or picnic dinner, as well as a swim or walk enjoying the great outdoors

Summer Solstice which means:

'Solstice' (Latin: 'solstitium') means 'sun-stopping'. The point on the horizon where the sun appears to rise and set stops and reverses direction after this day. The solstice is an astronomical event, caused because of the Earth’s tilt on its axis, and its motion in orbit around the sun. Because Earth doesn’t orbit upright but is instead tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. The tilt of the Earth, not our distance from the sun, is what causes the Earth’s winters and summers. At the December solstice, the Southern Hemisphere is leaning the most towards the sun for the year and the Northern Hemisphere is leaning most away from the sun for the year.

If you are interested in reading more about Norfolk Island time and dates zone details check out

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/norfolk-island/kingston

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/norfolk-island/kingston

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html?n=725

Summertime is here, time to enjoy the Norfolk Island outdoors and our beautiful Emily Bay. Some will be camping in the pines, many will be enjoying BBQs at the beach. Time to enjoy our Island Paradise.

Betty Matthews

December 2021