Today is the summer solstice - here are 5 cool things to know about it

There is something else special about tonight's full moon. There are typically only 3 full moons between the equinox and the solstice, but this time there are four. The last full moon, or the famous blue moon, fell on May 21 this year. It has been 6 years since a full moon fell on a solstice (the December 2010 solstice). This phenomenon won't occur again until 2062.

Much of Europe celebrates the summer solstice between June 21 and 25. In Finland and Germany, people often burn giant bonfires by the water. Celebrators dance around the fire because traditionally, jumping over flames is said to purify the person and increase their chances of getting married that year. The summer solstice was once believed to be a time to do magic and perform future-changing rituals.

The astronomical year is only 365.25 days long, while the human calendar year is 365 days long. Because of this, the exact date of the summer solstice can change. It can occur any time between June 20 and June 22.

The summer solstice is also very different between hemispheres. When the northern hemisphere is experiencing the longest day of the year, the southern hemisphere is experiencing the exact opposite.

It's a common myth that the sun is closest to the earth on the summer solstice because of hot temperatures and because there are more hours of daylight. However, it turns out that the exact opposite is true. The earth is furthest from the sun at this point in the year. This causes lower tides due to the decrease in gravitational pull. Sequim Gazette has recorded extremely low tides because of the angle of the sun.