Summer solstice 2022 in London: what time is sunrise and sunset - and how many daylight hours are there?

Today, Tuesday 21 June 2022 marks the summer solstice which means today is officially the longest day of the year, as sunlight will be present today than it will any other day of the year.

It marks exactly six months until the shortest day of the year, which occurs on 21 December, which is known as the winter solstice.

Here’s how many daylight hours there will be in London today.

What is the summer solstice?

The summer solstice occurs when one of Earth’s poles - the North Pole in this case - has its maximum tilt toward the Sun.

It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the sun is at its peak position in the sky and is the day with the longest period of daylight.

For example, the Southern Hemisphere, which includes 32 countries such as South Africa, Zambia, and more will today experience the shortest day of the year.

What does the summer solstice represent?

The day paves the way for brighter, longer evenings and in the UK, summer officially starts tomorrow, the day after the solstice.

It is also believed to be a turning point in the year weather wise, with brighter and warmer days following, which may be true after the recent heatwave in the UK.

Different people recognise this day as a different day, some believe this day marks the midpoint of summer, but some believe this day is the start of summer.

How many daylight hours will there be in London today?

In Greater London today, there will be almost 17 hours of daylight in the capital today. The sunrise in London was at 04:43am with the sun setting at 21:21.

This is higher than average daylight hours in the UK, which is 16 hours of daylight today.

What part of the world will experience the most daylight today?

Parts of the world that are closer to the North Pole will get the most daylight today, whilst those that whilst in the Northern Hemisphere, are further away from the North Pole will get the least amount of daylight.

Iceland will have the most amount of daylight today, with around 21 hours, whilst Tokyo, the capital of Japan will have just around 14 hours of daylight.

The top five locations in terms of most daylight hours today are:

Reykjavik: - 21 hours and eight minutes

Anchorage: 19 hours and 21 minutes

Lerwick: 18 hours and 56 minutes

London: 16 hours and 38 minutes

New York: 15 hours and six minutes

Is the summer solstice celebrated in the UK?

There’s no traditional or mass celebrations for the day, but usually thousands do gather at the phenomenon that is Stonehenge.

This is the first summer solstice since 2019 without restrictions, which may have seen a boost in people gathering at the site.

The last two summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge were streamed online, allowing people to stay safe but still feel a part of it.

But, today, many were present and let off a huge cheer as the first glimmer of sun peeked over Stonehenge shortly before 5am.