Photograph by Göran Strand. Visit his website, or follow him on Instagram.
EarthSky Facebook friend Göran Strand posted the photo above of the midnight sun on the day of the northern summer solstice, in northern Sweden. He must have captured it just after midnight on June 21, 2016 because he wrote:
This was shot at 00:50 local time when the sun had passed into summer.
The solstice arrived on June 20 at 2234 UTC (0034 on June 21 for Sweden). Thank you, Göran!
And remember that this year’s solstice was accompanied by a full moon. Birgit Bodén is another EarthSky friend on Facebook who is also in northern Sweden. She caught the moon around the midnight hour as well, just 10 minutes earlier than Goran caught his midnight sun, at 00:40 local time.
Thank you, Birgit!
The midnight full moon of northern Sweden at this year’s June solstice by our friend Birgit Bodén.
Bottom line: 2016 solstice midnight moon and sun, by photographers in northern Sweden.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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