Astronomer Eddie Salazar Gamboa announced that June 21st will be the longest day of the year due to the summer solstice, which will be reflected in the pyramid of Chichén Itzá.
The Sun will rise at 5:17 a.m., and by the time it sets, 13 hours and 25 minutes will have passed. The exact moment of the solstice will be at 8:58 a.m. with the greatest declination of the Sun to the North.
“It is calculated based on the position of the Sun. During the solstice, it should mark 6 hours (right ascension) with 23 degrees and 26 minutes (declination),” explained the expert.
He mentioned that the astronomical phenomenon means “Sun stopped” because the Sun precisely stops for a few days on its journey to the North.
This causes the northern part of Chichén Itzá to remain illuminated throughout the day, while the western part is illuminated in the afternoon. The southern zone remains in darkness all day since the Sun is at its maximum displacement to the North, and the pyramid’s orientation matches that of the Earth.
This is the second seasonal change of the year after the spring equinox, which occurred on March 20th, with the Earth in a completely vertical position.
After the summer solstice, the duration of the day begins to decrease until reaching the winter solstice in December when the day becomes shorter than the night: 10 hours and 35 minutes.
Regarding the pyramid of Chichén Itzá, the phenomenon occurs in reverse, with the southern part illuminated throughout the day and the northern part in darkness. This will be followed by the autumn equinox on September 23rd and the aforementioned winter solstice on December 21st, with the Sun’s maximum displacement to the South.
In this way, spring and summer will have a duration of 93 days, autumn will last 90 days, and winter only 89 days. By the time of the summer solstice, 182 days will have passed since the winter solstice that occurred last year.
For now, the Sun maintains its trajectory from East to North, and on Wednesday, June 21st, it will reach its maximum displacement to the North, which is when the solstice occurs.
Eddie Salazar shared that the day will be even longer on June 21st if we consider both the civil and astronomical day. In the first case, he indicated that “we start counting from the moment it dawns because the Sun is already heating the Earth, even though it is below the horizon.”
Thus, the day will have a duration of 14 hours and 14 minutes since it is considered from 4:53 a.m. until 7:07 p.m.
Regarding the second case, the researcher explained that the reference point is the first magnitude stars (the brightest ones), which become invisible due to the Sun’s light.
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