Things To Know for the Summer Solstice: Science, Stonehenge, Movie, Songs & More

The longest day of the year is today, June 20, with the summer solstice in our Northern Hemisphere set to officially hit at 7:09 p.m.

That's the moment the sun reaches the highest point in the sky, directly above the Tropic of Cancer, according to a blogpost written by Tony Rice, NASA Ambassador, for WRAL.com. "This is also 'the longest day' because the sun rises earlier and sets later than any other day, producing the most hours of sunlight."

Hope It’s A Good Day, Because It’s The Longest Day

• How long will today last? The NASA ambassador notes that today "will have 14 hours, 36 minutes of sunlight, 1 more minute than Tuesday." In the days and months ahead, moments of sunshine will diminish, continuing until the earth makes another half-trip around the sun, at which point we hit the winter solstice, on December 21, shortly after 6 a.m. On that day, Rice notes, "we'll have only 9 hours 44 minutes of sunlight."

 Stonehenge Attracts the Masses

• Stonehenge is an ancient pre-historic site, the "place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice since time immemorial," according to the English Heritage Web site. The site marks the conditions of entry, the history of Stonehenge, the significance of Stonehenge and ongoing research involving Stonehenge. 

It’s Hot — Very Hot!

• "How hot is it?  In a word, record-breaking hot, with new highs being posted throughout the state." But that was last year, for the .

• Local temperatures for this year's summer solstice are lower, but nationwide records are likely to be set, according to Record Temperatures Could Mark the Official Start of Summer, an MSNB.com post, reported by the Associated Press and The Weather Channel. See also the photoblog, Record High Heat To Greet Summer Solstice.

• Temperatures close to home, with ovecast skies, at 2 p.m. registered in te mid- to-high 80's.

Dowload Top Summer Songs

• Summer songs coming to mind? At the top of Billboard’s list of “Top 30 Summer Songs of All Time,” are “Surfin’ Safari” (The Beach Boys, 1962), “Summertime” (Billy Stewart, 1966), “Wipeout” (Fat Boys and The Beach Boys, 1987), “Cruel Summer” (Bananarama, 1983) and “Summertime Blues” (Eddie Cochran, 1958).

• At the top of Entertainment Weekly’s “100 Greatest Summer Songs of All Time,” are “Summer in the City” (The Lovin’ Spoonful, 1966), “California Girls” (The Beach Boys, 1965), “School’s Out” (Alice Cooper, 1972), “Heat Wave” (Martha and the Vandellas, 1963) and “Under the Boardwalk” (The Drifters, 1964).

Learn More With These Summer Solstice Links

• Summer Solstice: Why It's the the Longest Day of the Year

• The Weather Channel, 10 Ways To Enjoy the Longest Day

Watch "Summer Solstice"

• Henry Fonda and Myrna Loy star in the 1981 drama, Summer Solstice, about two older lovers facing death. Reportedly for both Fonda and Loy, it marked their last roles.