Since Kepler's laws of motion dictate that celestial bodies orbit more slowly when farther from the sun, we are now moving at ...

Over 6,000 years old and still a site for worship, Stonehenge remains a unique place. As the first rays of the sun shine into ...

People are marking the start of the winter and summer solstices across the globe. North of the equator, celebrations welcome ...

I was looking forward to writing a tribute to clear summer skies and great summer stargazing in the Pacific Northwest.

Bolivians gathered in the mountains and city viewpoints to celebrate the Andean New Year, a tradition rooted in pre-Hispanic ...

From Stone Age astronomy to Viking law and Roman goddesses, cultures across time have honored the longest day of the year ...

During the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice, the upper half of the earth is tilted toward the sun, creating the longest ...

This solstice falls between June 20 and 22. Meanwhile, at the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the sun — leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year.

The Earth spins on a tilt as it revolves around the sun. The summer solstice occurs for Earth's upper half when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted most closely toward the sun.

The summer solstice falls late in the day on Friday, June 20 in the United States (it will already be Saturday, June 21 in Europe). It's the longest day and shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere.

Compared to the winter solstice, we will have an additional 3 hours and 46 minutes of sunlight on Friday. Conversely, the June solstice is the shortest "day" of the year in the southern hemisphere.