Summer solstice 2027

222 nights to go

Monday 21 June 2027 · In the daytime

The Moon that night: 91% lit. If the sky is clear.

The summer solstice is Monday 21 June 2027, at 8:10 am Mountain Time. It is the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere: the Sun rises farthest north and climbs highest at noon.

In June comes the longest day of the year. The Sun stays up late, so you can play outside longer. Your shadow at lunchtime is very short.

In June the northern half of Earth leans toward the Sun, so the Sun climbs high and stays up long. The solstice is the moment of most lean. After it, the days slowly shorten again until December.

At the June solstice the Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, about 23.4° north. North of the Arctic Circle it doesn't set at all. Our sky table shows how late dark comes in June: civil twilight ends after 9 pm in much of the country.

Earth seen from space, half in sunlight, with the Americas visible. — Earth on the December solstice of 2011, from the GOES-13 weather satellite, with the north half leaning away from the Sun. Photo: NASA/NOAA GOES Project (NASA Image and Video Library, public domain).

Where to look

Watch where the Sun sets: this week it sets farthest north along your horizon.

What to do

Mark where the Sun sets from your window, next to your December and March marks.
Measure your shadow at lunchtime: it's the shortest of the year.
Stay up a little: it doesn't get dark enough for stars until late.

More sky events

“If it's cloudy, don't worry. The planets will still be there tomorrow night.”