In Poland, astronomical summer has officially begun. Today at 10:26, the summer solstice occurred — the moment when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and the night becomes the shortest of the year.
The effect of the solstice intensifies as one moves north: the higher the latitude, the more noticeable the reduction of dark hours. Beyond the Arctic Circle, the night virtually disappears completely during these days.
With the onset of astronomical summer, the season for observing noctilucent clouds opens — one of the rarest atmospheric phenomena. These clouds form at altitudes of up to 85 kilometers, making them the highest clouds on Earth.
They can be seen in the northern sky at twilight — shortly after sunset or before dawn. The glowing silvery-blue shimmer of these clouds is considered one of the most beautiful summer phenomena in the atmosphere and attracts the attention of sky watchers across Poland.
