Summer is officially here; what you need to know about the solstice

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Today is the day. The summer solstice has arrived for the northern hemisphere, while the southern hemisphere gets to experience the winter solstice. For us northerners, Tuesday marks the shortest night of the year and the longest day. It also marks the first official day of summer.Astronomy of the solsticeWhy does today happen the way it does? The Earth orbits the sun, but it doesn't do so perfectly. At some point in the distant past, something struck the Earth and knocked