First off, the solstice marks the first official day of summer.
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But 2016 is a special year, because the solstice coincides with the Strawberry Moon, a once-in-a-lifetime occurence.
Elsewhere in Ireland, especial in rural communities, locals traditional gather around a bonfire and celebrate the longest day of the year with song and dance.
During the winter solstice, the Earth’s axis is tilted furthest away from the sun directly over the Tropic of Capricorn bringing only a few hours of daylight.
Along with this transition between the seasons, this year we also have a rare event – a Solstice Strawberry Moon.
In the northern hemisphere this means the days begin to get shorter.
Monday marks the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year and the celestial transition point between the seasons – but wet weather has plagued much of the UK.
“The sun gets super high so this moon must be super low”, astronomer Bob Mernan of Farmers’ Almanac told the Daily Telegraph.
The Strawberry Moon will set at 7:33 a.m.
On June 20, the sun will rise somewhere around 5:25 a.m. Not only will it be a full moon but also a Strawberry Moon.
Atlas Obscura pointed out that in 1967, the summer solstice occurred at 10:23 p.m.
In most places, the first day of summer isn’t the hottest day of the year.
The solstice is celebrated by various cultures across the world.
There’s conflicting information as to when the last time the two occurred on the same day.
The Latin breakdown for the word solstice is “sol” for “sun” and “sistere” for “to stand still”. This will not happen again until June 21, 2062, a 46 year wait. During summer, the northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun, meaning its rays are directed almost straight down instead of at an angle. By June 20 they are still cool from the winter time, and that delays the peak heat by about a month and a half.
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Temperatures will be 18C (64.4F) or 19C (66.2F) on Monday – normal for this time of year – with some “decent sunny spells”, Mr Partridge added.
