A solstice is defined as which of the following?

A solstice is defined as which of the following?

• A. The point at which days are longest in one hemisphere and shortest in another
• B. The days and nights are equal length
• C. The time when the sun is closest to Earth
• D. The midpoint between the solstices

Answer: (A)

A solstice occurs when the Sun’s path in the sky reaches its most extreme position due to the tilt of Earth's axis, causing one hemisphere to have the longest daylight and the opposite hemisphere to have the shortest daylight. This bilateral extremes happen twice a year, so the description that days are longest in one hemisphere and shortest in the other is exactly what a solstice is. The other statements describe different things: a time when day and night are equal is an equinox; the Sun being closest to Earth isn’t what defines a solstice; and the midpoint between solstices is also an equinox.

A solstice occurs when the Sun’s path in the sky reaches its most extreme position due to the tilt of Earth's axis, causing one hemisphere to have the longest daylight and the opposite hemisphere to have the shortest daylight. This bilateral extremes happen twice a year, so the description that days are longest in one hemisphere and shortest in the other is exactly what a solstice is. The other statements describe different things: a time when day and night are equal is an equinox; the Sun being closest to Earth isn’t what defines a solstice; and the midpoint between solstices is also an equinox.