Summer solstice in 2011 was celebrated by many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. There, it marks the longest day of the year, the shortest night of the year, and what many consider to be the beginning of summer.
Many people took the occasion to observe the skies and welcome summer. Meanwhile, it was winter solstice for the Southern Hemisphere and the opposite conditions for them.
Come December, it will be winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.
The two solstices of the year occur when the earth's tilt towards the sun reaches an extreme point. In the June solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the earth while the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the earth.
Photo: Reuters
A man uses a camera on a rocky crest filled with astronomical markers during the summer solstice at the Kokino megalithic observatory June 21, 2010. The 3,800-year-old observatory was discovered in 2001 in the northwestern town of Kumanovo, 70 km (43 miles) north from Skopje, and is ranked as the fourth oldest observatory in the world, according to NASA.
Photo: Reuters
A man uses a camera on a rocky crest filled with astronomical markers during the summer solstice at the Kokino megalithic observatory. The 3,800-year-old observatory was discovered in 2001 in the northwestern town of Kumanovo, 70 km (43 miles) north from Skopje, and is ranked as the fourth oldest observatory in the world, according to NASA.
Photo: Reuters
A man celebrates the summer solstice at the Kokino megalithic observatory June 21, 2008. The 3,800-year-old observatory was discovered in 2001 in the northwestern town of Kumanovo, 70 km (43 miles) north from Skopje, and is ranked as the fourth oldest observatory in the world, according to NASA.
Photo: flickr / pfly
Summer Solstice 2011
Photo: flickr / Mick Roche
Summer Solstice 2011
Photo: flickr / tarotastic
Summer Solstice 2011
Photo: flickr / novemberwolf
Summer Solstice 2011
![Helen Mirren: Dying Boy, Oliver Burton, Gets His Last Wish Thanks To Actress Dressed As Queen Elizabeth [PHOTOS]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_multimedia/public/2013/05/22/helen-mirren-visits-dying-boy_1.jpg "Helen Mirren: Dying Boy, Oliver Burton, Gets His Last Wish Thanks To Actress Dressed As Queen Elizabeth [PHOTOS]")
![Great GoogaMooga In Brooklyn: Music, Food And Disappointment As The Festival Gets Cancelled [PHOTOS]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_medium/public/2013/05/21/matt-kim_4.JPG "Great GoogaMooga In Brooklyn: Music, Food And Disappointment As The Festival Gets Cancelled [PHOTOS]")
![Oklahoma Tornado 2013: Photos And Footage Of The Twister's Devastation [PICTURES, VIDEO]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_multimedia/public/2013/05/20/oklahoma-tornado_1.png "Oklahoma Tornado 2013: Photos And Footage Of The Twister's Devastation [PICTURES, VIDEO]")
![Billboard Music Awards 2013: All The Fashion On The Billboards Red (Er, Blue) Carpet [PHOTOS]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_medium/public/2013/05/20/keha-givenchy.jpg "Billboard Music Awards 2013: All The Fashion On The Billboards Red (Er, Blue) Carpet [PHOTOS]")
![Fort Worth Texas Tornadoes Claim 6 Lives: Pictures And Videos During The Storm And Its Aftermath [PHOTOS/VIDEO]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_medium/public/2013/05/16/tornado.PNG "Fort Worth Texas Tornadoes Claim 6 Lives: Pictures And Videos During The Storm And Its Aftermath [PHOTOS/VIDEO]")
![2 Arrested After Pakistani Flight Bound For Manchester Diverted To London [PHOTO]](http://www.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_small/public/2013/05/24/pakistan-airlines-flight-diverted.jpg-large "2 Arrested After Pakistani Flight Bound For Manchester Diverted To London [PHOTO]")
![5 Incredible Future Campuses For The World's Tech Giants [PHOTOS]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_small/public/2013/05/22/amazons-biodome_0.jpg "5 Incredible Future Campuses For The World's Tech Giants [PHOTOS]")
Like or Follow us for updates on the biggest stories!