What are solstices?

A solstice is when the day gets either the longest or shortest of the year, like a special moment in the sun's journey across the sky.

Imagine you're playing with a round ball, like a soccer ball, and you’re spinning it around on a stick. When the ball is tilted so that one side faces you directly, that’s when the day gets longer, that’s called the summer solstice. It feels like the sun is hanging out longer in the sky, giving us more time to play outside.

But when the ball tilts the other way, and the side facing you is smaller, that’s when the day gets shorter, that's the winter solstice. It's like the sun takes a little nap, and we have less time to run around before it's dark.

The Earth acts just like that spinning ball. Every year, as it turns around the Sun, it tilts a little bit, causing these special days called solstices, which help us know when summer or winter is coming.