Summer or Winter Begins on Thursday

On Thursday, June 21, at 18:06 Coordinated Universal Time (2:06 p.m. on the East Coast of the U.S.), summer will begin in the Northern Hemisphere and winter will begin in the Southern Hemisphere. June 21 is the longest day of the year for those in the north and the shortest day for those in the south. On June 21, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer and the entire Arctic Circle receives 24 hours of sunlight. Conversely, south of the Antarctic Circle is completely dark and the South Pole will remain dark for the next three months.