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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
