Summer Solstice, 2023 – Local Noon

Griffith Observatory marks the start of summer in the northern hemisphere with a live online talk (weather permitting) focused on the Sun as it reaches its highest point in the sky at local noon. Observatory staff will discuss the meaning of local noon and show how the Sun’s changing path across the sky causes seasonal changes. Learn more about the seasons here.

Summer begins in Earth’s northern hemisphere at 7:58 a.m., PDT, today. Winter begins in the southern hemisphere at the same time. The June/summer solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its maximum declination (23.5 degrees). This is when the northern hemisphere of Earth is tilted as far toward the Sun as possible during a given year.

From the summer solstice until the start of autumn – the autumnal equinox in September – days will get shorter, and the noon elevation of the Sun will decrease. This happens because the Earth’s axis is tilted 23½ degrees to its orbit. June 21 is the longest day of the year.