Solstice

Solstice, in astronomy, term applied to either of the two points in the ecliptic at which the Sun is farthest from the celestial equator. The solstice north of the celestial equator is called the summer solstice because the Sun is usually at its greatest declination on June 21 or 22 (at the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere); the solstice south of the celestial equator, called the winter solstice, usually occurs on December 21 or 22. The seasons are the reverse of the above for people living in the Southern Hemisphere. The term solstice means “Sun stands still”; at these times the Sun changes little in declination from one day to the next and appears to remain in one place north or south of the celestial equator.