<P> The summer solstice (or estival solstice), also known as midsummer, occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun . It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and is the day with the longest period of daylight . At the pole, there is continuous daylight around the summer solstice . On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44 ° . Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44 ° . </P> <P> The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere's summer . This is the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the December solstice in the Southern Hemisphere . Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 in the Southern Hemisphere . The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the winter solstice . </P> <P> Since prehistory, the summer solstice has been seen as a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals . Traditionally, in many temperate regions (especially Europe), the summer solstice is seen as the middle of summer and referred to as "midsummer". Today, however, in some countries and calendars it is seen as the beginning of summer . </P> <P> Although the summer solstice is the longest day of the year for that hemisphere, the dates of earliest sunrise and latest sunset vary by a few days . This is because the earth orbits the sun in an ellipse, and its orbital speed varies slightly during the year . See the Equation of time for details . Although the sun appears at its highest altitude from the viewpoint of an observer in outer space or a terrestrial observer outside tropical latitudes, the highest altitude occurs on a different day for certain locations in the tropics, specifically those where the sun is directly overhead (maximum 90 degrees elevation) at the subsolar point . This day occurs twice each year for all locations between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn because the overhead sun appears to cross a given latitude once before the day of the solstice and once afterward . For example, Lahaina Noon occurs in May and July in Hawaii . See solstice article . For all observers, the apparent position of the noon sun is at its most northerly point on the June solstice and most southerly on the December solstice . </P>

Is the summer solstice the first day of summer
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