A Solstice is the point in time when the Sun reaches it’s most northernly or southernly position.
To find Solstice events gfposc can search for the condition where the Declination of SUN is at a “local maximum” or “local minimum”.
| Declination | Northern Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|
| local maximum | Summer | Winter |
| local minimum | Winter | Summer |
gfposc inputs for finding the Northern Hemisphere’s Summer Solstice:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Target | SUN |
| Reference Frame | J2000 |
| Observer | EARTH |
| Coordinate System | Range/RA/Declination |
| Coordinate | Declination |
| Relate | Local Maximum |
gfposc: When is the sun highest in the sky?
Copy Summer Solstice Finder to Clipboard
Results:
Solstice Found : 2022 JUN 21 16 : 59 : 44.660 UTC
Solstice Found : 2023 JUN 21 23 : 00 : 17.653 UTC
Solstice Found : 2024 JUN 21 05 : 15 : 41.496 UTC
To find the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice, The value of Relate, is set to Local Minimum:
Results:
Solstice Found : 2022 DEC 22 05 : 16 : 15.631 UTC
Solstice Found : 2023 DEC 22 11 : 04 : 41.047 UTC
Solstice Found : 2024 DEC 21 17 : 32 : 45.674 UTC
