Summer Solstice Leads to the Longest Day of the Year; Which Tombs, Temples, Monuments Align With It?

At 10:57 a.m. ET on June 21, the sun will be at the highest point in the northern hemisphere. This leads to the longest day of the year: the summer solstice.

What Is the Summer Solstice?

According to EarthSky, the sun rises and sets on the northernmost part of the horizon during the summer solstice. The summer solstice is not a full day; it's a particular moment where the sun ends up in the sky's northernmost area.

Live Science explains that, on equinoxes, the sun gets situated directly over the equator. However, on the summer solstice, or June's solstice, the sun rises over the northeast horizon and sets at the northwest.

People.com adds that this summer solstice signifies the official start of summer. At the same time, it marks the longest day of the year.

Tombs, Temples, Monuments That Align With Summer Solstice

All over the world, hundreds of tombs, temples, monuments, and other structures align with the solstice. Here are some of them.

Egypt's Khufu and Khafra Pyramids of Giza

While the Pyramids of Giza were widely known to be the tallest man-made structures until 1311, they actually also have unique cardinal points. Live Science explains that right at the Sphinx's front, the solstice sunset takes place between both the Khufu and Khafra pyramids.

UK's Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most well-known monuments that align with the summer solstice. The Heel Stone of this 5,000-year-old monument is lit up by the sun that rises right before the summer solstice. Thousand of individuals spend their evenings around these mysterious monuments to witness the grand event.

New Mexico's Chaco Canyon

Within the Chaco Culture National Historical Park lie gigantic structures known as kivas. These structures were made by Ancestral Puebloan individuals around A.D> 850 to A.D. 1250.

During the summer solstice sunrise, it is recommended to stay at Casa Rinconada, also referred to as the great kiva, to get a glimpse of a rectangle of light shining through a particular window and settling over a niche.

Utah's Sun Tunnels in the Great Basin Desert

Compared to other monuments, the Sun Tunnels are relatively modern. These creations were made from 1973 to 1976 in northwestern Utah's Great Basin Desert. It was made by artist Nancy Holt.

The Sun Tunnels' installation covers four huge cylinders of concrete that separately align to the sunset and sunrise on both the summer and winter solstices.

Malta's Hagar Qim

One of the world's oldest free-standing buildings, the Hagar Qim was constructed roughly 3600 B.C. to 3200 B.C. During the summer solstice's sunrise, the rising sun's first rays seep through the structure via an elliptical oracle hole situated on the walls. This then projects the sun's disk onto a slab of stone.

Check out more news and information on Environment and Climate in Science Times.