why does summer start on the solstace? Shouldent the day with the most light be the middle of summer?

Answer 1

Summer is one of the four seasons of the year. In the West, the seasons are generally considered to start at the equies and solstices, based on astronomical reckoning. In English-language calendars, based on astronomy, summer begins on the day of the summer solstice and ends on the day of the autumn equinox. When it is summer in the in the Southern Hemisphere, it is winter Northern Hemisphere, and vice versa.

However, because the seasonal lag is less than 1/8 of a year (except near large bodies of water), the meteorological start of the season, which is based on average temperature patterns, precedes by about three weeks the start of the astronomical season. According to meteorology, summer is the whole months of December, January, and February in the Southern Hemisphere, and the whole months of June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere. (Although, June is also the third spring month as well.) Today, the meteorological reckoning of the seasons is gaining broader acceptance [citation needed], with Australia using this system predominately, but the astronomical definition is still more frequently used in other parts of the West.

In Ireland, summer starts as early as May 1 even though July, August and September are the warmest months there.[citation needed] In some countries, summer begins on June 1,[citation needed] while in others it arrives as late as July 1.[citation needed] In general, seasonal changes occur later in coastal regions, so countries close to the oceans go for a later start to summer (with the exception of Ireland) than inland ones. Summer is commonly viewed as the season with the longest (and warmest) days of the year, in which the daylight predominates, through varying degrees.[citation needed]

Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginnings, of the seasons. In Chinese astronomy, for example, summer starts on or around May 6, with the jiéqì (solar term) known as Lixia (立夏), i.e. "establishment of summer". An example of Western usage would be William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, where the play takes place over the shortest night of the year, which is the summer solstice.

In Southern and Southeast Asia where the monsoon occurs, summer is more generally defined as March to May or early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon rains.

In most countries children are out of school during this time of year, although dates vary. Some begin as early as mid-May, although in England, from the ages of 5-16, school ends in the middle of July. In the Southern Hemisphere, school holiday dates include the major holidays of Christmas and New Year's Day. Summer school holidays in Australia begin a few days before Christmas and end in late January to mid-February, with the dates varying from state to state. Summer is also the season in which many fruits, vegetables, and other plants are in full growth.

Answer 2

Hi well it's all to do with the tilt of the Earth from the Equator (23.5 degrees ) As the Earth spins on its axis it is slowly moving up and down from the Equator within a 47degree zone.It tilts up from the Equator and stops 23.5 degrees North.(Tropic of Cancer)Then starts to tilt down passing the Equator and stops at 23.5degrees South(Tropic of Capricorn) Then starts to tilt up again. When the sun is directly over the Equator (0 degrees ) about March 22 and September 22, day light and night time hours are the same. (Eqinox) When the Sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn it is farthest from the Equator.(Solstice) When the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer,about 22 June the daylight hours are the longest,(not the warmest )(Summer Solstice) and the daylight hours in the Southern Hemisphere are the shortest (but not the coldest) (Winter Solstice).. When the Sun is above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere, the daylight hours are the longest (not the warmest) (Summer Solstice)about 22 december. And in the Northern Hemisphere the daylight hours are the shortest (not the coldest)(Winter Solstice). it is one continuous cycle up and down.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the up and down tilt of the Earth ('wobble') which is the reason for the Equinox (s) and the Solstice(s) in the first place.

EDIT......

Someone stated that the North Pole points directlly at the Sun .This is not true.If it did that ,the ice would melt . The North Pole points towards the sun but the sun is very low above the horizon and at the same time the south pole points away from the sun which never rises above the horizion.Six months later the conditions are reversed. The only places on earth where the sun is directly over head is between 23.5 degrees South of the Equator and 23.5 degrees North of the equator. Outside this zone the Sun can never be directly overhead

Answer 3

You are talking about what is called the reckoning of the seasons. The type of reckoning you are referring to is astronomical reckoning and it is the one that we hear most about usually. There are other types as well.

Meteorological reckoning has the seasons starting at the beginning of the month containing the appropriate solstice or equinox. For example, since the vernal equinox (in the northern hemisphere) is generally around March 21st, the season of spring is said to start on March 1st. The seasons in this case are more closely associated with temperature, with the warmest quarter of the year being summer etc.

Traditional reckoning is based on what is called insolation, which refers to the amount of sunlight gained. The quarter year with the most insolation is summer, and the one with the least is winter etc. This type of reckoning generally marks the solstices and equinoxes as the middle of the season, with the season starting about a month and a half before those dates. For example, spring would start sometime around Feb 2-7.

EDIT: For the answerer above me, it's nice that you can research an answer on wikipedia, I do it too. But at least try to actually write your own answer. Copying and pasting text from another site is not really answering a question. If your answer is the text of another site, just link to it.

Answer 4

There are four cardinal points ...north, south, east and west. Likewise there are four points in space, at least as far as we are concerned. The point when the north pole points directly at the sun, 6 months later when it points away from the sun, and the two times in the middle. The names have beginnings way back to the Druids and beyond. Autumnal Equinox, Vernal Equinox..the points when day and night are equal. These points take place during these times, autumn and spring, and only "start them because our calender says so. When actually they take place during that season. And the solstices, when the sun "stands still" in the sky therefore actually are in the middle of the season, we just accept them to be the beginning.

This mixed with the "First point of Aries" or zero degrees right ascension which is the spring equinox leads to the "beginning" of things.

Answer 5

Official British summertime begins on the 30th of March...with our weather it doesn't start until like August! Can't wait for it! :)

Answer 6

No because, due to 'thermal inertia`, (wiki it),
the temperature peaks far later than the
rate of incoming heat.
(For the first half of the cycle, we're recovering
from the previous winter. )

Answer 7

You'd think so, wouldn't you? I agree with you on this, but they're not going to change things for you and me, I guess.

Answer 8

No...I thing the warmest day should be...but I am not God, so I will take it as it comes.