- The northern hemisphere has had its summer solstice — the longest day of the year.
- The June solstice signals the arrival of summer and a gradual shortening of days. It is the point in the year when Earth's North Pole tilts furthest towards the sun.
- In England, Stonehenge stone circle saw about ten thousand visitors for the solstice. It was also viewed across the northern hemisphere.
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The northern hemisphere celebrated its summer solstice on June 21.
For those living in the northern hemisphere, it is the longest day of the year. It also signals the end of spring and the beginning of summer.
From Stonehenge stone circle to Macedonia to Times Square, here are some stunning photos of revelers basking in the first rays of sunlight.
The solstice happened on Friday, June 21 at 11:54 AM Eastern time.
Solstice means "sun standing still" in Latin, referring to the fact the sun looks like it lingers at its highest point in the sky at midday on the summer solstice.
Source: NBC
Across the world, people gathered to witness the beginning of the northern hemisphere's longest day.
About ten thousand people gathered at Stonehenge to watch...
It's thought that the tradition dates back thousands of years when Neolithic people created the stone formation to be a temple aligned to the sun.
Source: Metro News
...And soak up the morning light...
...Including modern day druids.
It is believed solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.
On the day of the solstice, the sun rises behind the entrance to the 5000-year-old Stone Circle called Heel Stone and sunlight is channeled into the center of the circle.
Source: BBC
A yoga class enjoyed the sunrise from 443 ft in the sky in the London Eye.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
Elsewhere in England, two women headed into the North Sea for an early morning celebratory swim.
In Macedonia, a woman watched the sunrise from the rocky crest of megalithic observatory Kokino.
This ancient astronomic observatory, more than 4,000 years old, is located about 100 km northeast of Skopje, North Macedonia. It is ranked by NASA as the fourth most ancient observatory in the world.
In Times Square, New York, people participated in a yoga event to celebrate the summer solstice.
It also happened to be International Yoga Day.
Source: Patch
Unfortunately, there was a rainstorm during the yoga event...
...But that didn't put people off.
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