The moon was directly behind the earth from the sun at 7:02 is morning and at that point, with the center of all three orbs in a straight line, technically Full. It will be quite large tonight, the shortest night of the year. That means that today is the SUMMER SOLSTICE for the northern hemisphere and there will be more sun visible than any other day. Today the sun (sol) stands still (stice); it has been rising and setting farther and farther in the northeast and northwest but that movement ceases today and will stop or stand still. That is what Stonehenge and many other human "temples" to the sun mark, the day the sun stops moving farther north, stands still for a day before beginning to "move" back to the south. If you go out and watch the sun set tonight and check again tomorrow it will set a tiny bit to the left (southwest) of where it goes down tonight.
All of this has little to do with the sun itself, it's Earth's fault and out planet is on quite a tilt in relation to it's orbital plane around the sun: 23 1/2 degrees of tilt (23.45 for sticklers). The solstice is because today is the day that the northern end of our planet is the most tipped toward the local star; that most tipped moment is a 6:34 this afternoon. If you were hanging out at 23 1/2 degrees north latitude today, the sun would be directly over your head at noon local time and you'd be hard pressed to find a shadow. For any one at 38 north like I am, the sun will be 14 1/2 degrees from overhead at a little after 1 today (daylight saving time has pushed "noon" back an hour and in the 15 degree width of a normal time zone "noon" varies from place to place). If you are in the southern hemisphere, today is the winter solstice and the longest night of the year kicking off your winter season. We in the north will officially be in summer at 6:34 today.
If all of that is too confusing (or wordy…) just get out and enjoy today on your planet. Another coolish overnight is giving way to a warm day - the cool side of the high pressure has moved and our air will be coming from the south today, more so tomorrow with even more humidity and a front will slide down from the north and increase the chance of showers for tomorrow. Another will come through Thursday before clearing out and setting us up for another lovely weekend. But, that's days away and you have the first week of summer to enjoy, get out there and wander, today on Earth.
Happy Solstice!!
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