What to Know
- Summer began at 7:57 a.m. local time on Wednesday, June 21
- Griffith Observatory will offer two broadcasts detailing just what the solstice means
- Enjoy two live online talks, one at local noon and one at sunset
The 21st of June, at least around Southern California, can sometimes brim with befuddlement while possessing a slightly odd air.
We're still in June — the date displayed on the calendar backs us up on that point — and yet foggy scenes and heavy skies can suddenly blanket various parts of the region, making people wonder when summer will really and truly begin.
Let us pause to look beyond the transitory fog, clouds, and June-Gloom-a-tude to what so famously lies well beyond our atmosphere: space. Space and specifically the star that so kindly illuminates the space our planet so intrepidly occupies (yep, we're talking about the sun).
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Getting to know the sun, the seasons, and how the solstices and their not-so-distant cousins the equinoxes work is made easier with the Griffith Observatory team at the helm.
And, once again, people possessing impressive astronomical acumen will lead online talks at local noon and again at sunset on the summer solstice.
Which is, yes, June 21, even if things have been a bit gloomy for much of the month.
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The talks, a longstanding tradition, are free to check out online, no ticket required.
You'll get to know terms like "maximum declination" and trucking out words "tilt" or "axis" at your next get-together will be your next cool move.
Don't even start us on the real thrills of diving deeper into the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, two other major players in the solstice scene.
For more on this great June/September/December/March gift from the fabled emporium o' astronomy, the star-watching citadel high on the hill, shine a light on this site now.
