Original Broadcast Date: Friday, June 19, 7:00pm
Recording will also be available on our youtube channel after the event.
Join us for a special event celebrating the official first day of summer. What makes this day so special? Why has it inspired festivals and traditions around the world? Find out with our educators live!
Note: The Summer Solstice is the same every year (for the next few thousand years at least!), so this episode is an excellent one to re-watch year after year.
About AstroNights:
Join us at 7:00pm on select Fridays for a half-hour presentation exploring everyone’s favorite astronomy topics. From the colorful characters in our own solar system to the weird and wonderful things far beyond, each program is sure to contain something of interest to armchair astronomers of all ages. Click here for more information about past AstroNights events, including how to access recordings.
Resources
Solstices From Space - Observe the change in the Sun’s light falling on Earth, as seen by the European geosynchronous satellite EUMETSAT, presented by NASA Earth Observatory.
What’s Up Video Podcast - See an animation of the Solstice as seen from Earth and space, and find out about some of the other cool things visible in your sky in June.
Stonehenge - English Heritage, which organizes yearly events at Stonehenge, has a great website with mostly cultural information about Stonehenge. In 2020, English Heritage live-streamed the sunrise from Stonehenge on their social media channels, and they are set to do it again in 2021!
Milankovitch Cycles - A century ago, Serbian scientist Milutin Milankovitch showed that long term, cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit could explain long term changes in Earth’s climate. They also would have affected how people on Earth view phenomena like the Summer Solstice
Traditions of Sun - Free ebooks about ancient practices around solar observation and cultural practices among the peoples of Chaco Canyon and the Yucatan Peninsula. The flash content may not work anymore, but you can download the pdf ebooks in English and Spanish.
Make your Own Sundial - The world’s original clock. Still works!
The links below include resources mentioned during the program, suggested follow-up activities, and more!