Strawberry Moon

Summer solstice coincides with the Strawberry Moon, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, this 2016.

16:22 20 June 2016

Summer solstice, a Latin word that means “sun stands still”, is the longest day of the year when there’s approximately 17 hours of light. It occurs when the stun stops heading north at the Tropic of Cancer and then returns back southwards.

 

This year’s Summer Solstice is particularly important as it coincides with the Strawberry Moon, an occurrence that takes place every 70 years.  

 

Summer solstice will fall on today, Monday 20 June. The sun rose at 4.45am and will set at 10.34pm. This marks the start of the summer season and has been linked to many ancient cultural practices as different cultures consider it as a symbol of renewal, fertility and harvest.  

 

The most popular place in the UK to celebrate the summer solstice is at Stonehenge as the prehistoric monument aligns to the solstices. The English Heritage-run site is expecting around 20,000 visitors this year.