Summer Solstice 2013: Ancient Cultures Saw Season as Time of Growth

Friday marks the beginning of summer, also known as the solstice. This is the longest daylight period of the year and the start of astronomical summer in Earth's northern hemisphere.

At just 1:04 a.m. on June 21, the sun can be seen straight overhead along the Tropic of Cancer as the North Pole reaches the maximum annual tilt toward the sun. As the planet rotates on its axis, different areas within the Artic Circle see the sun circle through the sky for a period of 24 areas.

During this day, the Northern Hemisphere receives more sunlight than on any other day of the year-but this doesn't mean the first day of the summer is also the hottest weather experts note.

"If you think about turning up an oven, it takes it a long time to heat up," explained Robert Howell, an astronomer at the University of Wyoming, via National Geographic. "And after you turn it off, it takes awhile for it to cool down. It's the same with the Earth."

Researchers note that the planets oceans and atmospheres act as heat sinks, absorbing and radiating the sun's rays over time. Even as the planet is absorbing much sunlight on the summer solstice, it takes several weeks to release it and as a result, this warmth usually occurs in month of July or August.

Yet history shows that the solstice was an essential time associated with agriculture and growth.

However, these days, summer is just another one of the four seasons for most.

"The only people who really pay attention to what's going on outside on a regular basis are the neo-pagans in America and farmers, because it's important for their growing and harvest seasons," said Jarita Holbrook, a cultural astronomer at the University of Arizona in Tucson, via National Geographic.

"But we're pretty much an indoor culture at this point ... so we have less of a connection to the sky."

What do you think?