If you read Adorageek’s post on Equinox, then you know that our Earth actually rotates on a tilted axis. Summer solstice, or often called midsummer, occurs when a Earth’s rotational axis, or its geographical Northern pole, is most greatly inclined toward the Sun. On the summer solstice, Earth’s maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. This happens twice each year (once in the Northern hemisphere and once in the Southern hemisphere), when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole. Continue reading →