Stretching into summer: Yoga workouts mark solstice in longest day
1 of 4 | People attend a yoga class in celebration of the summer solstice at the 23rd annual all-day outdoor yoga event in Times Square in New York City on Friday, June 20, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
June 20 (UPI) -- Summer officially began Friday in the Northern Hemisphere with the longest daylight of the year at around 15 hours.
At Times Square in New York, thousands of people enjoyed the extra sunshine in all-day yoga classes.
The summer solstice officially begins at 10:42 p.m.
The amount of daylight depends on the location. And the sun's intensity also varies.
Long day? The Earth might have something to do with it.
Friday, June 20 marks the summer solstice-the longest stretch of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere. Pack sunscreen and thank Earth's axial tilt for the extra hours. Learn more: https://t.co/t9V5SCmsHm pic.twitter.com/bgDcol9xbg— NASA (@NASA) June 20, 2025
Simultaneously, those in the Southern Hemisphere will mark the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of 2025 below the equator. That is around 7 hours and 40 minutes of daylight.
The sun appears higher or lower in the sky depending on the season.
In New York City, daylight was 15 hours and 6 minutes with sunrise at 5:24 a.m. and sunset at 8:30 p.m.
Yoga participants enjoyed a sunny day in Manhattan with a high temperature of 85 degrees, no precipitation and 38% humidity. Free yoga classes were open to experienced yogis and first-timers on the Broadway pedestrian plazas.
Classes for 23rd Mind over Madness Yoga ran from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The only animals allowed were service dogs.
People could also participate in a livestream.
It was sponsored by Times Square Alliance, which is a nonprofit organization that "works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the creativity, energy and edge that have made it an international icon for over 100 years," according to its website.
Events have been celebrated by cultures around the world for thousands of years. Stonehenge and the Mayan Chichen Itza Pyramid were purposely built to align with these seasonal markers.
Some Native American tribes in the plains and the Rocky Mountains perform a Sun Dance to celebrate the summer solstice. In Fairbanks, Alaska, a baseball game called the "Midnight Sun Game" traditionally starts at 10:30 p.m.
The summer solstice occurs because the Earth has a 23.5-degree tilt. So, the planet is pointed toward the sun half of the year and the most away the other half.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches its northernmost point relative to Earth's celestial equator.
During the summer solstice, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. That means if you stand there, you'll have no shadow at noon because the sun will be directly overhead.
The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is 10:02 a.m.
The winter solstice takes place when the sun is in its southernmost position relative to the celestial equator.
The word solstice is derived from the Latin word solstitium, which translates to "sun stands still."
The Fall equinox will occur at 2:19 p.m. Sept. 22 this year and the spring equinox is March 20, 2026, at 10:46 a.m.
Stretching into summer: Solstice yoga takes over Times Square
People attend a yoga class in celebration of the summer solstice at the all-day outdoor yoga event in Times Square in New York City on June 20, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Video does not show astronaut exposing 'fake' life in space
"Former Astronaut Karen Nyberg Shows How NASA Fakes Space Flights.." a June 16, 2025 post on X claimed. It shares a video of a woman in front of a space station-like backdrop watching a chip bag float away from her, side-by-side with the same footage being filmed in front of a green screen. A person in a green body suit is manipulating the bag. The video garnered thousands of interactions in posts on X, Threads, Instagram and Facebook. The clip also circulated in posts making similar claims about Nyberg in French, Spanish and Italian. Nyberg is a retired NASA astronaut who completed two spaceflights during her career, including a 166-day stay on the ISS in 2013 (archived here). But she is not the woman in the green screen video. Comments on the post on X included links to previous debunks from USA Today and PolitiFact who named the woman in the video as Paige Windle. In the clip, a person off-camera is heard calling the woman Paige. Windle is the founder of a lifestyle management company and the wife of David Weiss, known online as "Flat Earth Dave," the host of "The Flat Earth Podcast." Contacted by AFP, Weiss confirmed Windle is the one on-camera. "This video never dies. It keeps coming back," Weiss said in a June 17 email. The video was originally posted on Weiss's YouTube channel as part of a series titled "Globebusters," but made no mention of Nyberg (archived here). "Someone took that clip and presented it as Karen Nyberg and it went viral a bunch of times and now it has started again," he said. He said he has repeatedly addressed the false use of the video, sharing with AFP the cover image of a YouTube video he posted in response to the false viral claims (archived here). Astronauts onboard the ISS experience microgravity, causing them and objects to float (archived here). At the altitude of the ISS, gravity is 90 percent of the total gravity one feels on Earth, but an absence of air resistance causes all objects in the ISS to fall at the same rate, producing a weightless appearance. The ISS stays afloat because it moves at a speed that matches the curve of the Earth, causing it to "fall around" the planet while staying at roughly the same altitude. The moon's orbit works in a similar way. NASA uses the ISS in part to study how extended time periods in microgravity and other conditions in space impact the human body as it prepares for future long-term missions in space. On her website, Nyberg features a video she recorded on the ISS where she worked on a quilt (archived here). Unlike in the video filmed in front of the green screen, Nyberg's hair and necklace float throughout the clip due to the microgravity conditions. AFP reached out to Nyberg's representative for comment, but a response was not forthcoming. AFP has previously debunked claims that ISS astronauts faked a video from the station.
UPI
5 hours ago
- UPI
Stretching into summer: Yoga workouts mark solstice in longest day
1 of 4 | People attend a yoga class in celebration of the summer solstice at the 23rd annual all-day outdoor yoga event in Times Square in New York City on Friday, June 20, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 20 (UPI) -- Summer officially began Friday in the Northern Hemisphere with the longest daylight of the year at around 15 hours. At Times Square in New York, thousands of people enjoyed the extra sunshine in all-day yoga classes. The summer solstice officially begins at 10:42 p.m. The amount of daylight depends on the location. And the sun's intensity also varies. Long day? The Earth might have something to do with it. Friday, June 20 marks the summer solstice-the longest stretch of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere. Pack sunscreen and thank Earth's axial tilt for the extra hours. Learn more: NASA (@NASA) June 20, 2025 Simultaneously, those in the Southern Hemisphere will mark the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of 2025 below the equator. That is around 7 hours and 40 minutes of daylight. The sun appears higher or lower in the sky depending on the season. In New York City, daylight was 15 hours and 6 minutes with sunrise at 5:24 a.m. and sunset at 8:30 p.m. Yoga participants enjoyed a sunny day in Manhattan with a high temperature of 85 degrees, no precipitation and 38% humidity. Free yoga classes were open to experienced yogis and first-timers on the Broadway pedestrian plazas. Classes for 23rd Mind over Madness Yoga ran from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The only animals allowed were service dogs. People could also participate in a livestream. It was sponsored by Times Square Alliance, which is a nonprofit organization that "works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the creativity, energy and edge that have made it an international icon for over 100 years," according to its website. Events have been celebrated by cultures around the world for thousands of years. Stonehenge and the Mayan Chichen Itza Pyramid were purposely built to align with these seasonal markers. Some Native American tribes in the plains and the Rocky Mountains perform a Sun Dance to celebrate the summer solstice. In Fairbanks, Alaska, a baseball game called the "Midnight Sun Game" traditionally starts at 10:30 p.m. The summer solstice occurs because the Earth has a 23.5-degree tilt. So, the planet is pointed toward the sun half of the year and the most away the other half. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches its northernmost point relative to Earth's celestial equator. During the summer solstice, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. That means if you stand there, you'll have no shadow at noon because the sun will be directly overhead. The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is 10:02 a.m. The winter solstice takes place when the sun is in its southernmost position relative to the celestial equator. The word solstice is derived from the Latin word solstitium, which translates to "sun stands still." The Fall equinox will occur at 2:19 p.m. Sept. 22 this year and the spring equinox is March 20, 2026, at 10:46 a.m. Stretching into summer: Solstice yoga takes over Times Square People attend a yoga class in celebration of the summer solstice at the all-day outdoor yoga event in Times Square in New York City on June 20, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
UPI
6 hours ago
- UPI
Watch: 'Power Book IV: Force' Season 3 gets teaser, fall release date
1 of 3 | Starz is teasing "Power Book IV. Photo courtesy of Starz June 20 (UPI) -- Starz is teasing the third and final season of Power Book IV: Force, starring Joseph Sikora and Manuel Eduardo Ramirez. Sikora portrays Tommy Egan, who is evading federal agents and rivals as he struggles to "take over Chicago's drug game," according to an official synopsis. Season 3 will see him face off against Miguel (Ramirez). "With a deepening divide within his coalition and his personal life under threat, Tommy must balance offense and defense to survive and protect everything he's worked for," the synopsis states. Season 3 also stars Isaac Keys, Kris D. Lofton, Adrienne Walker, Miriam A. Hyman, Anthony Fleming III and Lucien Cambric. The finale will premiere in the fall, but a specific date has not yet been announced.
