The sun will reach its most northern point on June 20, marking the start of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20 with the summer solstice, the day with the greatest amount of possible daylight and the shortest night.

On the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere leans most directly toward the sun. That means more direct sunlight and the longest stretch of daylight hours — up to 15 hours overall — for the year. Near the North Pole, the sun doesn’t set at all — a phenomenon known as the midnight sun.