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Summer solstice: the longest and shortest day in 2016

The different ways people mark the longest, or shortest, day of the year and the first day of summer in 2016.

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Summer Solstice
Monday was the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. [Neil Munns/EPA]
Published On 21 Jun 2016

Monday’s solstice marked the point at which the Sun was at its northernmost point above the Earth.

The exact time this happens varies each year, but in 2016 it took place on June 20 at 22:34 GMT.

This made Monday the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere.

This year the solstice coincided with a full moon, which happens only every 70 years.

Summer Solstice
In the UK the solstice is a time when people head to Stonehenge. The prehistoric monument aligns to the solstice and the rising sun only reaches the middle of the stones on one day of the year. [Neil Munns/EPA]
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Summer Solstice
Another monument that is popular during the solstice is an early bronze age site at Rujm el-Hiri where 42,000 basalt rocks are arranged in concentric circles. It is believed to be an ancient observatory. [Monahem Kahana/AFP]
Winter Solstice
Some researchers at Mawson Station in Antarctica decided mid winter would be a good time for a dip. [Jenny Wressell/AFP]
Summer Solstice
In southern China's Guangxi province, the solstice marks the date of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival - a day when many local people celebrate by eating dog meat. [Wu Hong/EPA]
Summer Solstice
In New York, there is a less controversial practice of taking part in free yoga classes in Times Square. [Justin Lane/EPA]
Summer Solstice
The yoga sessions attract thousands of people from around the world every year. [Justin Lane/EPA]
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