June 21, 2003              First Day of Summer and  Last Quarter Moon                                                                   

Summer Solstice Today's photo is of the Allegheny River and was taken on the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2002, by John M. Karian, who is a WPC member and does nature photography in Venango County. The image was captured several miles north of the WPC-owned Sandy Creek confluence parcel. The summer solstice (when the Sun is farthest north) marks the first day of the season of summer. The declination of the Sun on the summer solstice is known as the tropic of cancer (23° 27'). Today we will see the most daylight (15 hours, 4 minutes). This event takes place because the earth is not positioned upright, but is tilted 23° relative to the sun. This means that as the earth rotates around the sun, there is one day when the northern hemisphere (and Pennsylvania) are closest to the sun: summer solstice. E-mail Today's WPC Daily to a Friend! Friend's e-mail address: Your Message: Rediscover western Pennsylvania every morning with WPC Daily. Become a Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Member  View the winning WPC Daily for April Choose your favorite WPC Daily for May

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