This year’s June Solstice is on Sunday, June 21, 2026. In most locations north of Equator, the longest day of the year is on or around this date. In San Francisco, this day’s daylight time is 14 hours and 47 minutes - 5 hours and 14 minutes longer than the daylight time of the December Solstice. This year, the solstice occurs at 1:24 am PDT in San Francisco - this is the moment the Sun will be directly above the Tropic of Cancer. This is the northernmost latitude the Sun reaches during the year. After the solstice, it begins moving south again. At this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are long, and as we approach the solstice, each successive day is increasingly a few seconds longer than the preceding day. After the solstice, the days will begin to get shorter, only by a few seconds at first, and the amount of daylight will keep decreasing until the December Solstice on December 21.

The word “solstice” means Sun standing still, as earlier cultures noticed the Sun appeared to rise (or set) in the same place for several days in a row at this time of year. Ancestral observatories all over the world remind us that people have connected to the sky for thousands of years. Many cultures never lost their connections to the sky, and continue to carefully observe these seasonal changes. 

Our modern culture has lost much of its connection to the sky and its predictable rhythms. Use some of these resources below to explore our nearest star, its apparent motion across our sky, and feel grounded in the knowledge of your ancestors. The sky is available to us all!

Solar noon, when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky, occurs at 1:11 pm PDT on June 21 in San Francisco. This is the highest the Sun ever gets for us, and it still will not be directly overhead. You can measure its altitude with our Height Sight Snack (see the Going Further section for how to do this safely - NEVER look directly at the sun!). Find out about the day length, local solar noon and more at: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa

Here are a variety of resources to connect with the Sun and sky:

Exploratorium Resources for connecting to the Solstice: 

• Find the altitude of the sun with our Height Sight Science Snack. You can be used to  measure the Sun's altitude on the equinox (or any day) at solar noon (1:11 pm PDT in San Francisco on the June Solstice). Look up solar noon times for your location here. Check out the Going Further section of the Snack for how to measure the Sun’s altitude safely - never look at the Sun! How high is the Sun at solar noon on the June Solstice? Do you think the Sun’s altitude will be the same, higher, or lower on the September Equinox at solar noon? Can you design an experiment to find out? 
• Use the shortest shadow to find when the Sun has reached its highest point in the sky (culmination) with our Outdoor Shadows Snack.
• Observe patterns of light and shadow, and the subsolar point with our Self Centered Globe Snack.

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