Today, Thursday (June 20th), is the first day of Astronomical Summer OR as it is better-known – the Summer Solstice.

The exact moment of the 2024 “Summer Solstice” is at 3:50pm Central – that’s when the sun is at its highest point in the sky each year.  And it’s also known as the “longest day of the year,” – though it still has 24 hours just like any other day.  But today, and the days surrounding it, will have the most daylight of the year.

The amount of daylight begins shrinking on June 21st, and will continue bit by bit until the winter solstice or “shortest day of the year,” – which in 2024 will fall on December 21st.  Either way today will be a long one in terms of daylight – the amount will vary depending on your location.

FOE EXAMPLE – In Alabama:

Huntsville: 14 hours, 29 minutes, 15 seconds

Birmingham: 14 hours, 22 minutes, 41 seconds

Mobile: 14 hours, 8 minutes, 7 seconds

Auburn: 14 hours, 17 minutes, 52 seconds

Tuscaloosa: 14 hours, 21 minutes, 1 second

In the United States:

Anchorage, Alaska: 19:21:29

New York City: 15:05:38

Seattle: 15:59:18

St. Louis: 14:52:08

Los Angeles: 14:25:32

Miami: 13:44:59

And, just in case you were wondering, many are touting it as the “earliest  Summer Solstice since 1796”