We have MAY-de it, folks! The dreary grayness of winter and the early spring is in the past, and May is upon us! To celebrate, we thought we’d write about all things…SUN. So without further ado, let’s brighten things up a little.

June is the month of the Summer Solstice. Both “equinox” (spring and fall) and “solstice” (summer and winter) refer to the path the sun travels throughout the year. During a solstice, the sun is either at its northernmost point (Tropic of Cancer), or it is at its southernmost point (Tropic of Capricorn). An equinox is either of the two days each year when the sun crosses the equator, resulting in both day and night becoming equally long.

The word “solstice” is from the Latin solstitium, which is from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop) because it appears as if the sun stops at the solstice.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice occurs between June 20 and June 22. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is between December 20 and December 23. Soak up the sun this month when it happens, because the Midwest will have 14 hours and 43 minutes of sunlight on both June 20 and 21!

While the Summer Solstice is the lightest, brightest, most brilliant summit of solar power, that is not because we are at our closest point to the sun. Rather, the longest day of the year is created by the Earth being at the maximum angle to receive direct sunlight.

Though the sky is the limit for solar production during May, June, July, and August due to the aforementioned lengthy days, as well as the height of the sun in the sky, don’t count out the cooler days of winter. It’s the brightness of the sun that affects production, not temperature, so you can have an amazing production day on a bright wintry day just as you can on a bright summer one. The only difference between the two is the length of daylight.

But don’t just consider the benefits direct sunlight can have on your panels and your pocketbook. Getting 20 minutes of direct sunlight per day has been proven to boost bone and heart health, decrease cancer risk, and combat depression! And how many other things that offer so many positive benefits are free?

If you have any questions, or are curious about how the sun could go to work in YOUR life, give us a call at 844-80-SHINE or visit us at SHINE today!