Summer solstice is June 20, 2016.

If you live it Vancouver it’s at exactly 3:34 p.m. The solstice happens each year between June 20 and 22 but it’s the same day everywhere on Earth.

Since I am cycling around the Earth on my bicycle, sunrise and sunset times interest me a lot. I found this especially interesting in the far north where the sun never sets. More recently, I was crossing Australia where the warmest and longest days were in December — — completely opposite of what I am used to.

During summer solstice, the northern polar tilt of our planet’s polar hemisphere is closest to the sun. In the southern hemisphere, it’s the furthest. Also, you will notice if you live in the Northern Hemisphere that the sun’s daily maximum elevation is at its highest, and in the Arctic may never even set. So where I live in Vancouver this is the “longest day of the year” meaning the most daylight. Sunrise is 0507 and sunset 21:17.

Bad news is the days start getting shorter after this. June 20 will not be the shortest day of the year for the entire planet, only half of it.

Summer Solstice

In many countries in the Southern Hemisphere — including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — winter begins on June 1 and ends on Aug. 31. Their summer solstice is Dec. 22. So it’s their longest day of the year. The Equinox is when both poles are equal distance from the sun.

There you have it. Time to get your boats and bikes out.

I am a firefighter and cancer survivor circumnavigating the globe by bicycle for cancer research and am 3/4 complete. I love to follow and write about cycling. The posted blogs are my personal opinion and thoughts.

My global ride site that maps me on Google Maps is   www.firefightercycle.com   , twitter @copsfire, or RSS feed here.