The June Solstice is typically acknowledged as the official start of summer.
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Having just passed the June solstice, the Australian night sky is at its most beautiful.
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The June solstice this year begins on Monday at 22:34 UT, or 6:34 p.m.
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We're about halfway through summer right now, if you started counting at the June solstice and I did.
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It is the June solstice, the start to summer for half of the world and winter for the other.
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It is the June solstice, the start of summer for half of the world and winter for the other.
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Today is the June solstice, the start of summer for half of the world and of winter for the other.
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The June solstice was traditionally used to mark the start of the winter months, but Australia flouts the laws of science and nature.
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On Monday night, you can witness an astronomical event that hasn't occurred in decades: the coinciding of the June solstice with a full moon.
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By using US time zones, the last time the full moon and June solstice shared a calendar date was June 21, 1986, EarthSky reports.
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The June solstice marks the highest (northern summer) or lowest (southern winter) point that the sun sits in the sky relative to the equator, at noon of that day.
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With the summer's June solstice on the horizon, you'll take on your usual role as the "parent" of the group and care for a drunken friend atop a sunny roof.
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Not to be confused with the Yuletide Pagan celebration of mid-winter in the northern hemisphere (commonly referred to as Christmas), the southern hemisphere's June solstice is *spoiler alert* definitely not Christmas.
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There will also be four full moons between the March 2035 equinox and the June 2035 solstice, 19 years from now, but the June solstice won't coincide with a full moon again until Jun 21, 2062.
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Because it is so unusual, the Farmer's Almanac will join with Slooh, an online network of robotic telescopes, to live-stream the June solstice full moon, complete with commentary from Berman and Slooh staff astronomer Paul Cox.
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For 2016 there will only be a grand total of nine hours, 53 minutes and 53 seconds of daylight during the June solstice, with the sun setting at the standard bedtime for retirees and small babies: 4:54 p.m.
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And because of this 29-degree tilt in the grid, the magic moment of the setting sun aligning with Manhattan&aposs cross streets does not coincide with the June solstice but rather with specific dates in late May and early July.
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Illumination of Earth by the Sun on the day of the June solstice The June solstice is the solstice on the Earth that occurs each year falling on 20–22 June according to the Gregorian calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice is the summer solstice, whilst in the Southern Hemisphere it is the winter solstice. It is also known as the northern solstice.
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This day marks the approximate midpoint of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and of winter in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the June solstice).
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The June solstice solar year is the solar year based on the June solstice. It is thus the length of time between adjacent June solstices. In 6000 BC, the December solstice solar year had a length of 50:35 in excess of 365 days and 5 hours. This shortened to 47:55 in 2000 AD. It will remain between 47:45 and 48:00 at least until 10000 AD.
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This period is the second half of a 6-month long southerly movement, beginning with the June solstice when the Sun rises and sets at its most northern point.
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See solstice article. For all observers, the apparent position of the noon Sun is at its most northerly point on the June solstice and most southerly on the December solstice.
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The temple also has two trapezoidal windows, one facing 65°, called the "Solstice Window", and the other facing 132°, called the "Qullqa Window". The northwest edge of the rock platform points out the Solstice Window to within 2’ of the 15th century June solstice rising Sun. For comparison, the angular diameter of the Sun is 32'. The Inca constellation Qullca, storehouse, can be viewed out the Qullqa Window at sunset during the 15th-century June Solstice, hence the window's name.
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When this line of latitude was named in the last centuries BC, the Sun was in the constellation Cancer (Latin for crab) at the June solstice, the time each year that the Sun reaches its zenith at this latitude. Due to the precession of the equinoxes, this is no longer the case; today the Sun is in Taurus at the June solstice. The word "tropic" itself comes from the Greek "trope (τροπή)", meaning turn (change of direction, or circumstances), inclination, referring to the fact that the Sun appears to "turn back" at the solstices.
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On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°. The summer solstice occurs during summer. This is the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the December solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.
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The 65th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 65 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. At this latitude the sun is visible for 22 hours, 02 minutes during the December solstice and 3 hours, 35 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 41st parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 41 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 8 minutes during the December solstice and 9 hours, 13 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 51st parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 51 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours, 33 minutes during the December solstice and 7 hours, 55 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 44th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 44 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 29 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 53 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 47th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 47 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 54 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 31 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 48th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 48 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours, 3 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 22 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 49th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours, 12 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 14 minutes during the June solstice.
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Unlike its northern counterpart, almost all (97%) of it passes through open ocean. It crosses the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia (New Zealand and just south of Tasmania), the Southern Ocean, and Patagonia. At this latitude, daytime lasts for 15 hours, 37 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 46 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 30th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 30 degrees south of the Earth's equator. At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 5 minutes during the December solstice and 10 hours, 13 minutes during the June solstice. On December 21, the sun is at 83.83 degrees up in the sky and at 36.17 degrees on June 21.
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The 27th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 27 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 52 minutes during the December solstice and 10 hours, 24 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 31st parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 31 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 13 minutes during the December solstice and 10 hours, 04 minutes during the June solstice.
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The 32nd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 32 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 19 minutes during the December solstice and 9 hours, 58 minutes during the June solstice.
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Gregorian calendar seasons difference This image shows the difference between the Gregorian calendar and the astronomical seasons. The y-axis is the date in June and the x-axis is Gregorian calendar years. Each point is the date and time of the June solstice in that particular year. The error shifts by about a quarter of a day per year.
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Jvfken Mapu. Ramón Curivil.. It takes place on the June solstice (the Winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere), the shortest day of the year in the indigenous home of the Mapuche people. Frequently, We Tripantu (Mapudungun tr: new year) is used as a synonym for Wiñoy TripantuLoncon Antileo, Elisa (2012). «Wüñoy Tripantü. El regreso del sol para iniciar un nuevo ciclo con la Naturaleza».
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Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Visited 23 June 2018., but some speakers of the Mapuche language Mapudungun use We Tripantu to refer to the New Year of the Gregorian calendar (January 1) and Wiñoy Tripantu for the celebration of the June solstice. Many variations of the term Wiñoy Tripantu exist, such as Wiñol xipantu, Wvñol xipantu, Wiñol Txipantu and Wüñoy Tripantü.
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The 38th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Ocean, and South America, including the Andes Mountains and Patagonia. At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 48 minutes during the December solstice and 9 hours, 32 minutes during the June solstice.
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The tail of Scorpius is known as a storehouse, or qullqa. A partridge, yutu, was just below the Southern Cross, and a toad, hamp'atu, to the lower right. A serpent, machaguay, extends off to the right. During the Inti Raymi, the Sapa Inca and curacas would proceed from the Haucaypata, where they greeted the rising June solstice sun, to the inner court of the Coricancha.
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Note: Distances are exaggerated and not to scale These "astronomical" seasons are not of equal length, because of the elliptical nature of the orbit of the Earth, as discovered by Johannes Kepler. From the March equinox it currently takes 92.75 days until the June solstice, then 93.65 days until the September equinox, 89.85 days until the December solstice and finally 88.99 days until the March equinox.
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At this latitude, the Sun is visible for 18 hours, 52 minutes during the June solstice and 5 hours, 52 minutes during the December solstice. The maximum altitude of the Sun is 53.44° on 21 June and 6.56° on 21 December. The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 15.00º in October and > 8.00º in November. The lowest latitude where white nights can be observed is approximately on this parallel.
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Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed through the year with the wettest month of October seeing an average of of precipitation and the driest month of February receiving an average over just over . Given its northern latitude, winter days are quite short, with as little as eight and a half hours of daylight on the December solstice. The June solstice experiences 15 hours and 48 minutes between sunrise and sunset.
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World Humanist Day is a Humanist holiday celebrated annually around the world on the June solstice, which usually falls on June 21. According to Humanists International, the day is a way of spreading awareness of Humanism as a philosophical life stance and means to effect change in the world. IHEU official site It is also seen as a time for Humanists to gather socially and promote the positive values of Humanism.
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In Argentina, the 35th parallel south defines the border between Córdoba Province and La Pampa Province. The 35th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 35 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 31 minutes during the December solstice and 9 hours, 48 minutes during the June solstice.
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Its opposite is the summer solstice. Also the Tropic of Cancer or Tropic of Capricorn depending on the hemispheres winter solstice the sun goes 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight to the nadir. The winter solstice occurs during the hemisphere's winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the December solstice (usually 21 or 22 December) and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice (usually 20 or 21 June).
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In Argentina, the 42nd parallel south defines the border between Río Negro Province and Chubut Province. The 42nd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 42 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 15 minutes during the December solstice and 9 hours, 7 minutes during the June solstice.
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In Argentina, the 46th parallel south defines the border between Chubut Province and Santa Cruz Province. The 46th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 46 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 15 hours, 45 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 38 minutes during the June solstice.
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Studies published about the Muisca astronomy in 2011 and 2017 by Julio Bonilla Romero, revealed that the Sun seen from the northeastern corner of Bolívar Square, at the June solstice rises exactly above Monserrate and at the December solstice above Guadalupe Hill.Bonilla Romero, 2011, p.9 At the equinoxes of March and September, Sué rises from the valley between these two landmarks in the Eastern Hills of the city.Bonilla Romero et al.
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The 34th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 34 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 28 minutes during the December solstice and 9 hours, 50 minutes during the June solstice, and south of which the Crux constellation is circumpolar (figures in the sky all year round).
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The fourth and outermost wall is the largest: 150 m in diameter and 3.2 m wide. A central tumulus in diameter and high is surrounded by concentric circles, the outermost of which is in diameter and high. Two entrances to the site face the northeast ( wide) and southeast ( wide). The northeast entrance leads to an accessway long leading to the center of the circle which seems to point in the general direction of the June solstice sunrise.
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In Argentina, the 28th parallel south defines the border between Chaco Province and Santa Fe Province. The 28th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 28 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 13 hours, 57 minutes during the December solstice and 10 hours, 19 minutes during the June solstice.
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At the North Pole on the June solstice, around 21 June, the sun circles at 23.5° above the horizon. This marks noon in the Pole's year-long day; from then until the September equinox, the sun will slowly approach nearer and nearer the horizon, offering less and less solar radiation to the Pole. This period of setting sun also roughly corresponds to summer in the Arctic. This photograph, from a plane, shows a section of sea ice.
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World map showing the Tropic of Capricorn Relationship between Earth's axial tilt (ε) to the tropical and polar circles The Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December (or southern) solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reaches 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight on the June Solstice. Its northern equivalent is the Tropic of Cancer.
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The 50th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 50 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and South America. At this latitude the sun is visible for 16 hours, 22 minutes during the December solstice and 8 hours, 4 minutes during the June solstice. On December 21, the sun is at 63.83 degrees in the sky and on June 21, the sun is at 16.17 degrees in the sky.
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NYC Midsummer or Swedish Midsummer is a Swedish midsummer celebration organized since 1996 in one of New York City's parks on the Friday afternoon close to the June solstice, or St John's Day. For several years now, Battery Park City in lower Manhattan has hosted this event. A sizable portion of the Swedish expatriate community in NYC shows up to celebrate Midsummer the Swedish way. The event in Battery Park City is co-hosted by the Swedish consulate and Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority.
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Harmattan Haze in Abuja. Haze over the Mojave Desert from a brush fire in Santa Barbara, California, seen as the Sun descends on the 2016 June solstice, allows the Sun to be photographed without a filter.Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon in which dust, smoke, and other dry particulates obscure the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification of horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic ash, dust, sand, and snow.
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In addition the length of each day, which is determined by the season, has a significant impact on the climate. The 24-hour days found near the poles in summer result in a large daily-average solar flux reaching the top of the atmosphere in these regions. On the June solstice 36% more solar radiation reaches the top of the atmosphere over the course of the day at the North Pole than at the Equator. However, in the six months from the September equinox to March equinox the North Pole receives no sunlight.
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Owing to the Earth's axial tilt, winter in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from the December solstice (typically December 21 UTC) to the March equinox (typically March 20 UTC), while summer lasts from the June solstice through to the September equinox (typically on 23 September UTC). The dates vary each year due to the difference between the calendar year and the astronomical year. Within the northern hemisphere, oceanic currents can change the weather patterns that affect many factors within the north coast. Such events include ENSO (El Niño southern oscillation).
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Unlike the stars, the Sun and Moon do not have a fixed declination. Since Earth's rotational axis is tilted about 23.5° with respect to a line perpendicular to its orbital plane (the ecliptic), the Sun's declination ranges from +23.5° on the June solstice to −23.5° on the December solstice, as Earth orbits the Sun once every tropical year. Therefore in June, in the Northern Hemisphere, the midday Sun is higher in the sky, and daytime then is longer than in December. In the Southern Hemisphere, the situation is reversed.
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World map showing the Tropic of Cancer Relationship between Earth's axial tilt (ε) to the tropical and polar circles The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent. It also reaches 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight on the December Solstice. Using a continuously updated formula, the circle is currently north of the Equator.
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The sun rising over Stonehenge in southern England on the June solstice Many ancient civilizations observed astronomical bodies, often the Sun and Moon, to determine times, dates, and seasons.Chobotov, p. 1 The first calendars may have been created during the last glacial period, by hunter-gatherers who employed tools such as sticks and bones to track the phases of the moon or the seasons. Stone circles, such as England's Stonehenge, were built in various parts of the world, especially in Prehistoric Europe, and are thought to have been used to time and predict seasonal and annual events such as equinoxes or solstices.
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The Sun appears to move northward during the northern spring, contacting the celestial equator on the March equinox. Its declination reaches a maximum equal to the angle of Earth's axial tilt (23.44°) on the June solstice, then decreases until reaching its minimum (−23.44°) on the December solstice, when its value is the negative of the axial tilt. This variation produces the seasons. A line graph of the Sun's declination during a year resembles a sine wave with an amplitude of 23.44°, but one lobe of the wave is several days longer than the other, among other differences.
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On the sites of the temples, the Spanish colonisers built their churches. The Cojines are aligned with an azimuth of 106 degrees to the cross quarter of the Sun, passing over the present-day San Francisco church to the sacred hill of Romiquira. Seen from Bolívar Square in Bogotá, the Sun at the June solstice rises exactly over Monserrate, called by the Muisca quijicha caca or "grandmother's foot", and at the December solstice Sué appears from behind Guadalupe Hill or quijicha guexica ("grandfather's foot"). At the equinoxes of March and September, the Sun rises in the valley right between the two hills.
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Charles Darwin wrote: "One sight of such a coast is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about shipwrecks, peril and death."cited in , retrieved 18 November 2012 Being the southernmost point of land outside of Antarctica, the region experiences barely 7 hours of daylight during the June solstice, with Cape Horn itself having 6 hours and 57 minutes. The region experiences around 17 and a half hours of daylight during the December solstice, and experiences only nautical twilight from civil dusk to civil dawn. White nights occur during the week around the December solstice.
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The Torrid is also known as the Tropics. The zone is bounded on the north by the Tropic of Cancer and on the south by the Tropic of Capricorn; these latitudes mark the northern and southern extremes in which the sun seasonally passes directly overhead. This happens annually, but in the region between, the sun passes overhead twice a year. In the Northern Hemisphere, in the sun's apparent northward migration after the March equinox, it passes overhead once, then after the June solstice, at which time it reaches the Tropic of Cancer, it passes over again on its apparent southward journey.
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Krupp 1997a:252–53 Solsticial alignments also can be seen as displays of power. When viewed from a ceremonial plaza on the Island of the Sun (the mythical origin place of the Sun) in Lake Titicaca, the Sun was seen to rise at the June solstice between two towers on a nearby ridge. The sacred part of the island was separated from the remainder of it by a stone wall and ethnographic records indicate that access to the sacred space was restricted to members of the Inca ruling elite. Ordinary pilgrims stood on a platform outside the ceremonial area to see the solstice Sun rise between the towers.
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Along with the stone-filled circles of Jarata and Pacpo to the south, it forms a straight line along which the shade from the mountains falls during the June solstice. While many of the indigenous people today believe that the purpose of these circles was to provide a solid flat surface for the threshing of wheat and other cereals, several astronomic and geodetic alignments have been detected, questioning the validity of this theory. After several archaeological excavations by Oswaldo Tovar, many ceramics were unearthed from Incan and colonial times. Though the site is virtually abandoned, nearby mining operations in the area could jeopardize its integrity.
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Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–37, 56-57) states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on 24 June, six months before Christmas according to the old Roman calculation (ante diem VIII Kalendas Iulias). This feast day is one of the very few saints' days which commemorates the anniversary of the birth, rather than the death, of the saint being honored. The Feast of Saint John closely coincides with the June solstice, also referred to as Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Animation showing Orion's proper motion from 50000 BC to 50000 AD. Pi3 Orionis moves the most rapidly. Orion is located on the celestial equator, but it will not always be so located due to the effects of precession of the Earth's axis. Orion lies well south of the ecliptic, and it only happens to lie on the celestial equator because the point on the ecliptic that corresponds to the June solstice is close to the border of Gemini and Taurus, to the north of Orion. Precession will eventually carry Orion further south, and by AD 14000 Orion will be far enough south that it will become invisible from the latitude of Great Britain.
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The earlier study's §M found that Hipparchus did not adopt 26 June solstices until 146 BC when he founded the orbit of the Sun which Ptolemy later adopted. Dovetailing these data suggests Hipparchus extrapolated the 158 BC 26 June solstice from his 145 solstice 12 years later a procedure that would cause only minuscule error. The papyrus also confirmed that Hipparchus had used Callippic solar motion in 158 BC, a new finding in 1991 but not attested directly until P. Fouad 267 A. Another table on the papyrus is perhaps for sidereal motion and a third table is for Metonic tropical motion, using a previously unknown year of – days. This was presumably foundExplained at equation 25 of a recent investigation , paper #2.
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He was "son of the sun," and his people the intip churin, or "children of the sun," and both his right to rule and mission to conquer derived from his holy ancestor. The Sapa Inca also presided over ideologically important festivals, notably during the Inti Raymi, or "Sunfest" attended by soldiers, mummified rulers, nobles, clerics and the general population of Cusco beginning on the June solstice and culminating nine days later with the ritual breaking of the earth using a foot plow by the Inca. Moreover, Cusco was considered cosmologically central, loaded as it was with huacas and radiating ceque lines and geographic center of the Four- Quarters; Inca Garcilaso de la Vega called it "the navel of the universe".
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Lloyd Lodge viewed from Peace Rock Peace Rock with Mount Chocorua in the distance The World Fellowship Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, retreat and intergenerational conference center located in Albany, New Hampshire, United States. It is open between June and September, with most of its scheduled summer program commencing shortly after June solstice and concluding on or shortly after Labor Day weekend. A few workshops and other events take place before or afterwards. Nestled at the southeastern edge of the White Mountain National Forest, directly east of Mount Chocorua off Route 16 in Albany, it currently comprises approximately , including a conference room and dining lodge, nature trails, soccer field, several cabins, campsites and additional lodging facilities, as well as boating and swimming access on a large pond.
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The Sun is directly overhead at solar noon at the Equator on the equinoxes, at the Tropic of Cancer (latitude N) on the June solstice and at the Tropic of Capricorn ( S) on the December solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, north of the Tropic of Cancer, the Sun is due south of the observer at solar noon; in the Southern Hemisphere, south of the Tropic of Capricorn, it is due north. The elapsed time from the local solar noon of one day to the next is exactly 24 hours on only four instances in any given year. This occurs when the effects of Earth’s obliquity of ecliptic and its orbital speed around the Sun offset each other. These four days for the current epoch are centered on 11 February, 13 May, 25 July, and 3 November.
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Local religious traditions were allowed to continue, and in some cases such as the Oracle at Pachacamac on the Peruvian coast, were officially venerated. Following Pachacuti, the Sapa Inca claimed descent from Inti, which placed a high value on imperial blood; by the end of the empire, it was common to wed brother and sister. He was "son of the sun," and his people the intip churin, or "children of the sun," and both his right to rule and mission to conquer derived from his holy ancestor. The Sapa Inca also presided over ideologically-important festivals, notably during the Inti Raymi, or "warriors' cultivation", attended by soldiers, mummified rulers, nobles, clerics, and the general population of Cuzco beginning on the auspicious June solstice and culminating nine days later with the ritual breaking of the earth using a foot plow by the Inca himself.
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Astronomical timing as the basis for designating the temperate seasons dates back at least to the Julian calendar used by the ancient Romans. It continues to be used on many modern Gregorian calendars worldwide, although some countries like Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Russia prefer to use meteorological reckoning. The precise timing of the seasons is determined by the exact times of transit of the sun over the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn for the solstices and the times of the sun's transit over the equator for the equinoxes, or a traditional date close to these times. The following diagram shows the relation between the line of solstice and the line of apsides of Earth's elliptical orbit. The orbital ellipse (with eccentricity exaggerated for effect) goes through each of the six Earth images, which are sequentially the perihelion (periapsis—nearest point to the sun) on anywhere from 2 January to 5 January, the point of March equinox on 19, 20 or 21 March, the point of June solstice on 20 or 21 June, the aphelion (apoapsis—farthest point from the sun) on anywhere from 4 July to 7 July, the September equinox on 22 or 23 September, and the December solstice on 21 or 22 December.
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