Explanation:
Today, the sun will stay in the sky longer than any other day of the year, as seen from the northern hemisphere of Earth.
Named the Summer Solstice, today's
maximum daylight is indicative of the high amount of sunlight this time of year that is primarily responsible for the heat of the
summer season.
At the north pole and for all places above the
arctic circle,
there will be no night -- the entire day today will be lit by sunlight.
The situation is reversed in Earth's southern hemisphere, where today has the least sunlight of any day.
Today's solstice is commemorated above by a
well-planned picture of our five billion year old Sun rising behind the 2,500 year old
Parthenon in
Greece.
Trees and birds occupy the foreground, while a modern
crane
is shown restoring parts of this historic symbol of a cultural
civilization.
digg_url = 'http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090621.html'; digg_skin = 'compact';
