Solstice Animation
Northern Summer Solstice Animation
The 2000 northern summer solstice occurs on
June 21 at 0148 UT (June 20 9:48 p.m. EDT).
Right: The spin axis of our planet is tilted 23.5 degrees
with respect to Earth's orbit around the Sun. The northern summer
solstice is an instant in time when the north pole of the Earth
points more directly toward the Sun than at any other time of
the year. It marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere
and winter in the southern hemisphere. This animation shows what
the rotating Earth would look like to an observer on the Sun on
the day of the northern summer solstice. The north polar cap is
clearly visible throughout this 24 hour period - the Sun doesn't
set at the North Pole. Also, Antarctica cannot be seen - there,
the sun doesn't rise. These images were generated by JPL's
Solar System Simulator; the animated gif is 349KB.