Google on Saturday marked the start of summer in the northern hemisphere with a cheery and colourful doodle.
The doodle depicts a bright sunny day with a flamingo taking a ride on a many-hued hot air balloon. A smiling sun peeps from behind the balloon and a few stray clouds float nearby.
June 21 known as the Summer Solstice has the maximum number of daylight hours and the shortest night hours. Incidentally, when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
In 2020, the summer starts from June 21 (Sunday) and ends on September 22 (Tuesday). Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still).
During this period, days continue to lengthen from equinox to solstice and summer days progressively shorten after the solstice, so meteorological summer encompasses the build-up to the longest day and a diminishing thereafter.
The summer solstice marks the midpoint, not the beginning, of the seasons. Summer is associated with hot or warm weather. In the Mediterranean regions, it is also associated with dry weather, while in other places (particularly in Eastern Asia) it is associated with rainy weather.
