On or around June 21 each year, the rays of the sun will be perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer at 23°30' North latitude. This day is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
On
this day, the earth's
"circle of illumination"
will be from the Arctic
Circle on the far side
of the earth (in
relation to the sun) to
the Antarctic Circle on
the near side of the
earth. The equator
receives twelve hours of
daylight, there's 24
hours of daylight at the
North Pole and areas
north of 66°30' N, and
there's 24 hours of
darkness at the South
Pole and areas south of
66°30' S.
June 20-21 is start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere but simultaneously the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It's also the longest day of sunlight for places in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day for cities south of the equator.
Miami experiences sunrise at 6:30 a.m. on the 21st and sunset at 8:14 p.m. It's maximums are 6:28 a.m. from June 6-12 and 8:16 p.m. from June 30-July 5.
