Living with the Stars

Have you ever wondered why we were taught that summer starts on the 21st of June? Or why the zodiac sign of Cancer begins around that date? Or indeed, the others seasons were assigned the dates they were assigned?  It is all very simple - it all has to do with the movement of the Earth around the Sun.  The summer solstice (as opposed to the winter solstice) occurs when the North Pole has maximum tilt towards the Sun. It is at this point that the sun reaches its highest position in the sky (outside of the tropics) and is also the longest day. Depending on the calendar, the summer solstice occurs between the 20th and the 22nd of June for the Northern Hemisphere (and between the 20th and the 23rd December in the Southern Hemisphere).  This year, the Summer Solstice occurs on the 21st June at 11:13am. This is when the Sun is at 0 degrees Cancer. This zodiac sign is associated with the crab, but in actual fact, it is the scarab which is a more precise representative of this si...