Today's the summer solstice, AKA the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. If you're up later than usual, you've got an excuse. Your boss might not it, but tell him/her that it's Science. You can't argue you Science.

A couple years ago I wrote some and plotted some functions to determine just how much daylight a given latitude would have on any day of the year:

Today is right at the peak of the graphs and the Twin Cities are approximated in purple. Fairbanks is getting something like 22 hours of daylight. (Sets at 1AM, rises at 3AM. If you've ever seen the movie "Insomnia", you know what I'm talking about.) Even down at a latitude that's less crazy the long sunlight hours are killing my sleep. Whine, whine.

Western culture doesn't place any real significance on today -- most people I've talked to had no idea anything special was going on. Unlike the winter solstice, the summer solstice hasn't been popularly Christianized. There are few of the Midsummer's Eve celebrations which were common in Viking cultures, even in especially scandinavian Minnesota. (Things are a little more "lively" in Europe, surprise.)


Nice hair. But instead of hanging out with the druid crowd I decided to start my own tradition: A cheap cigar on the grassy knoll out by the lake at sunset. I think it's got some real lasting potential, but if you do decide to join in the celebration next year be sure to keep some mouthwash nearby. Or get a better cigar.

Posted by eric at June 21, 2006 09:03 PM

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