Roger Moroney
At 1.42am tomorrow morning (don't bother getting up to look for it) the Sun will be at its most southerly point in the sky for the year.
Its positioning signals the Summer Solstice, meaning that at noon tomorrow it will reach its maximum altitude in the sky and the day
will be the longest of the year.
As astronomer Brian Carter of the Carter Observatory pointed out, from tomorrow onward the days will grow shorter. Now there's a cheery thought.
We've only just got this unsettled excuse for a clement season under way and almost under control and the days are going to get shorter.
However, Mr Carter said the term "longest day" was a mathematical one, and the difference in time surrounding shorter days and longer nights was, at this stage, a mere few seconds.
"After December 22 the length of the days will slowly shorten, although this will hardly be noticed for a few weeks."
Nor will the actual stopping of the Sun be noticed, despite the blokes who crafted Latin lingo insisting that was what the whole thing was about.
In Latin, "sol" is sun and "sistere" is cause to stand still For that brief microsecond in time the sun hits its peak, then begins to wander off again.
This brief moment, expanded out so there's time for a dance or two and a few celebratory drinks, has been celebrated all over the world since ancient people finally worked out what was going on above them.
It is the summer solstice but it is also known as Alban Heflin, Alben Heruin, Feast of Epona, Feast of St John the Baptist (so it's not all heathen goat-slaughtering shenanigans) Feill Sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Midsummer, Thing-Tide, Verstala.
There are about 30 others apparently, so take your pick.
