June 21: Longest day of year

ISLAMABAD, June 21, 2011 (PPI): Today is the longest day of the year. It marks the summer solstice, the first official day of summer.

Summer solstice is the longest day of the year but that doesn’t mean our day has more than 24 hours in it, we just have more sunlight than any other day. On the summer solstice we get between 15 and 20 hours of sunlight.

Met Department said that the duration of the day in Islamabad would be of 14.28 hours, Lahore 14.17 hours, Karachi 13.43 hours and Quetta 14.16 hours.

Today the duration of sunlight in Peshawar would be of 14 hours and 31 minutes. After July 1, daylight hours will continuously reduce. By September 22, daylight and night hours will level-off.

After September 22 onwards, night hours will gradually increase and the days will become shorter.

The solstice, which falls on June 20 or 21 each year, occurs when the Earth’s North Pole is tilted the most toward the sun, and the sun is at its highest point.

It dawned at 5.00 A.M. in Peshawar and the dusk would be at 7.31 P.M., while in Islamabad the sunrise took place at 4.55 A.M. and the sunset will be at 7.24 P.M.