June 21 marked both the summer and winter solstice, the longest or shortest day of the year for sunlight depending on which hemisphere you reside. Here are some glimpses of the power, beauty, and transforming presence of the sun, taken since the beginning of June.
An unusual solar flare observed by a NASA space observatory on June 7 could cause some disruptions to satellite communications and power on Earth over the next day or so, officials said. The potent blast from the Sun unleashed a firestorm of radiation on a level not witnessed since 2006, and will likely lead to moderate geomagnetic storm activity by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service
Aymara people attend the sunrise of the winter solstice ceremony in La Apacheta, El Alto in the outskirts of La Paz June 21, 2011. The solstice coincides with the Aymara Indian New Year.
Worshippers raise their hands to the Sun during the celebration of the Aymara New Year in Samaipata, 120 km west of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on June 21.
A woman sleeps in a hammock at Seattle's Green Lake Park on the first day of summer, Tuesday, June 21, 2011. Temperatures hovered in the low 70s in the Emerald City on the summer solstice.
A couple look at the horizon standing on a rocky crest filled with astronomical markers at the megalithic observatory Kokino, soon after sunrise, early morning on June 21, 2011 - the day of the Summer solstice. The ancient astronomic observatory, located about 100 km northeast of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, dates back 4.000 years and is ranked by NASA as the fourth most ancient observatory in the world.
A reveller reaches up to the sky during the summer solstice at Stonehenge, near Salisbury in England, Tuesday, June 21, 2011. The ancient stone circle of Stonehenge is a World Heritage Site erected between approximately 3000BC and 1600BC and despite years of research the reason behind its construction remains a mystery. The summer solstice in the northern hemisphere occurs annually on June 21 and is the time at which the sun is at its northernmost point in the sky.
The sun sets behind the Kansas City, Mo. skyline marking the end of the longest day of the year Tuesday, June 21.
Mayan descendants pray during a ceremony in honor of the upcoming summer solstice at the Mayan archeological site of Tazumal in Chalchuapa, El Salvador, Sunday June 19, 2011. The summer solstice, which happens on Tuesday, marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and according to Mayan Priest Jose Erenesto Campos, the Mayans hold ceremonies to help balance the energy of mother earth and ask for abundant crops. In El Salvador, the solstice in June is referred to as winter solstice because it happens during the rainy season, which is considered the country's winter season.
A labourer carries a basket as he is silhouetted against the rising sun in Lahore, June 21.
A family rows a boat on Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park on June 21, 2011 in San Francisco, California. On the first day of summer, the San Francisco Bay Area is experience its first heat wave of the season with temperatures in the 70's at the coast and up to 100 degrees in the inland areas.
A US soldier from Viper Company (Bravo), 1-26 Infantry scans the horizon as the sun rises at the Combat Outpost (COP) Sabari in Khost province in the east of Afghanistan on June 21, 2011. US President Barack Obama will announce the size of his drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan on June 23, mapping out an endgame for a 10-year war that has exacted a fearsome human and financial toll.
The sun sets behind smoke from the Wallow fire Tuesday, June 14, 2011 in Luna, N.M. The focus of the battle against the massive wildfire burning in eastern Arizona was on New Mexico as crews continued to light fires around the town of Luna to stop the flames.
The sun is reflected in a solar panel, outside the EQ-SYS factory that makes rotating frames for solar panels, in Feldheim, Brandenburg, June 20, 2011. Energiequelle GmbH and the 145 residents of Feldheim, a so-called " energy independent" community, have endeavored to break free from fossil fuel, with a mix of renewable resources—wind, biogas, and solar, and have created their own heat and electricity networks.
A man with his bicycle is silhouetted against the setting sun as he walks through a dumping ground for recyclable material in Lahore June 15.
The setting sun is shrouded in hazy clouds as it sets beyond downtown Kansas City, Mo. Monday, June 13, 2011. Smoke from massive wildfires in Arizona has created brilliant sunsets in states as far away as Kansas and Nebraska.
Kashmiri boys sits on a parapet of the Dal Lake as a boat man rows his boat in the backdrop of the setting sun in Srinagar, June 14.
An aircraft is silhouetted by the sun in New Delhi June 13.
Sun sets over the Indian presidential palace, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 22, 2011.
Sun can be seen behind clouds and the sculpture "Man walking to the sky" by US artist Jonathan Borowsky on June 10, 2011 in Kassel, central Germany. Meteorologists forecast weather changing from fair to cloudy with mild temperatures up to 22 degrees Celsius in the region.
