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On The Record

Summer solstice: What's behind earth's tilt toward the sun?

By Sheilah Kast,
Melissa Gerr
Published June 21, 2024 at 10:05 AM EDT
The Serpens Nebula, one of the most recent images from the James Webb Space Telescope, is home to a dense cluster of newly forming stars (~100,000 years old), seen at the center of this image—some of these stars will eventually grow to the mass of the Earth's Sun. Photo: STScI
The Serpens Nebula, one of the most recent images from the James Webb Space Telescope, is home to a dense cluster of newly forming stars (~100,000 years old), seen at the center of this image—some of these stars will eventually grow to the mass of the Earth's Sun. Photo: STScI

It’s summer! Temps are high, school is out, pools are open, grills are stoked -- and the earth’s tilt is in place. What does ‘summer solstice’ mean, and is it really the longest day of the year? We ask Kelly Lepo, of Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute to break it down for us.

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On The Record WYPR ProgramsOn the RecordJames Webb Space TelescopeSpace Telescope Science Institute
Sheilah Kast
Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
See stories by Sheilah Kast
Melissa Gerr
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'
See stories by Melissa Gerr