My LINKcat AccountYesterday - if you're reading this on Thursday - was the official start of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. I hope you had a chance to celebrate! It's all downhill from here as we start losing daylight and eventually, warmth. Summer starts in the Northern Hemisphere this year on June 20th, at 8:09 P.M. (CDT). Each year, the timing of the solstice depends on when the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator. This occurs annually on June 20 or June 21 in North America, depending on your time zone. The word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the Sun appears to stop at this time (and again at the winter solstice). In temperate regions, we notice that the Sun is higher in the sky throughout the day, and its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call summer. In the winter, just the opposite occurs: The Sun is at its southernmost point and is low in the sky. Its rays hit the Northern Hemisphere at an oblique angle, creating the feeble winter sunlight. Soon all that efficient warming of the sun being at this high angle will result in the warmest days of the years which usually occur in July. No matter when summer officially arrives, the library's Summer Reading Program has been well underway since the end of May. There is still plenty of time to sign up and to earn fabulous prizes. Check out our website at : www.deforestlibrary.org for more details. We have many new books for you to read to help you earn fabulous prizes. Merely cast your eyes down this page and see all the titles we have for you. Enjoy!
