Twice a year, the sun seems to stand still: in June it climbs highest, and in December it stays lowest. In 2027 these moments fall on June 21 and December 22, and in Moscow the difference in day length between them will be more than ten hours.

The solstice may seem like something out of an astronomy textbook, but everyone feels it. In June you can read outdoors at midnight in St Petersburg, while in December in Moscow the sun sets before the working day is over. These two points govern the white nights and the polar night, folk festivals, and even when it's hottest outside.

The Summer Solstice: June 21, 2027

The summer solstice falls on June 21, 2027, at 14:11 UTC. At that moment, the Sun reaches the northernmost point of its path across the sky.

"The Sun will reach its greatest distance from the celestial equator," is how Mikhail Nevsky, head of the observatory of the Department of Space Physics at Southern Federal University, described the moment ahead of the 2026 solstice.

Here's what that looks like across Russia's time zones:

  • Kaliningrad — June 21, 4:11pm;

  • Moscow — June 21, 5:11pm;

  • Yekaterinburg — June 21, 7:11pm;

  • Novosibirsk — June 21, 9:11pm;

  • Irkutsk — June 21, 10:11pm;

  • Vladivostok — already June 22, 00:11am.

Across most of the country, the longest day will be June 21. And the night of June 21–22 will be the shortest of the year.

The Winter Solstice: December 22, 2027

The winter solstice falls on December 22, 2027, at 02:42 UTC — that's 5:42am in Moscow and 10:42am in Irkutsk. This time the date will be the same across the whole country: everywhere, the shortest day of the year will be December 22.

In 2026, the shortest day in European Russia was December 21, while beyond the Urals it was the 22nd. The reason is that the moment of the solstice shifts by about six hours each year, and in 2027 it falls in the night of December 21–22 even by Moscow time.

How Long and Short the Days Are in Different Cities

The difference between summer and winter depends on latitude: the further north the city, the bigger it is. Calculations for 2027:

  • Moscow. On June 21, sunrise at 3:44am and sunset at 9:18pm, a day of 17 hours 33 minutes. On December 22, 7 hours. A difference of more than 10.5 hours.

  • St Petersburg. In summer the day lasts 18 hours 51 minutes, in winter 5 hours 53 minutes. A difference of almost 13 hours.

  • Sochi. 15 hours 26 minutes in summer and 8 hours 56 minutes in winter: a difference of less than 6.5 hours, one of the smallest in the country.

  • Yekaterinburg. 17 hours 51 minutes in summer, 6 hours 45 minutes in winter.

  • Novosibirsk. 17 hours 23 minutes in summer, 7 hours 10 minutes in winter.

  • Irkutsk. 16 hours 47 minutes in summer, 7 hours 41 minutes in winter.

  • Yakutsk. Almost 20 hours in summer, and just 5 hours 8 minutes in winter. A difference of more than 14 hours.

  • Vladivostok. 15 hours 23 minutes in summer, 8 hours 59 minutes in winter.

  • Murmansk. In June the sun doesn't set at all, and in December it doesn't rise above the horizon.

White Nights and the Polar Day

The summer solstice is the peak of the white nights. In St Petersburg they last roughly from late May to mid-July, and the lightest nights come from mid-June to early July. The sun dips below the horizon only very briefly and very shallowly, so at night the twilight never turns into darkness.

Beyond the Arctic Circle, things are even more extreme.

In Murmansk, the polar day lasts from about May 22 to July 22: the sun doesn't sink below the horizon around the clock. And in winter the polar night sets in here, and on the day of the winter solstice there are only a few hours of twilight.

Why It's Not Hottest on the Day of the Solstice

You'd think that since the sun is highest in June, the hottest weather would come at the end of June. But in central Russia the warmest days usually come in late July or early August, and the coldest in January rather than December.

The reason is that the land and oceans need time to warm up or cool down. As Roman Vilfand, scientific director of Russia's Hydrometeorological Centre, has explained, the air is heated not directly by the sun's rays but by the ground. And the soil warms up gradually: only by around July 20 have its deeper layers warmed up, and then heat is passed into the atmosphere more actively.

As long as the ground keeps receiving more heat than it gives off, the temperature rises, even when the days have already started getting shorter.

Solstices and Festivals

People marked the solstices long before precise astronomical calculations existed. The summer solstice is historically linked with the Slavic festival of Ivan Kupala, which is now celebrated on July 7.

In Yakutia, on or around the day of the summer solstice, people celebrate Ysyakh, a national festival at which they greet the sun.

In many cultures, the winter solstice is associated with festivals of the "return of the sun". After it, the days begin to lengthen, even if only by a few minutes at first.

How to Use What You Know About the Solstices

Plan a summer trip north around the solstice. If you want to see the white nights in St Petersburg or the polar day in Murmansk, the best time is mid-June to early July.

Make the most of the long summer evenings. At the end of June it stays light in Moscow until almost 10pm, and even later in St Petersburg: you can go for walks, work at the dacha and take photos without rushing.

Prepare for the December darkness in advance. Around December 22, daylight in most cities lasts six to eight hours. It's best to move walks to lunchtime, and reflectors on clothing and children's backpacks are needed for almost the whole day.

Don't expect heat on the day of the solstice. If you're planning a swimming holiday in central Russia, the warmest water usually comes in July and early August, not in June.