In places north of the Arctic Circle, the June solstice is when the midnight sun occurs, during which the Sun remains visible even at midnight. The Atlantic hurricane season—when tropical or subtropical cyclones are most likely to form in the north Atlantic Ocean—begins on 1 June and lasts until 30 November. Several monsoons and subsequent wet seasons also commence in the Northern Hemisphere during this month. Multiple meteor showers occur annually in June, including the Arietids, which are among the most intense daylight meteor showers of the year; they last between 22 May and 2 July, peaking in intensity on 8 June.
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world.[1][2] Containing 30 days, June succeeds May and precedes July. It is one of four months that have 30 days—alongside April, September and November—and is the second 30-day month of the year, following April, the fourth month of the year, and preceding September—the ninth month of the year.[1] June is in the second quarter (Q2) of a calendar year, alongside April and May, and the sixth and final month in the first half of the year (January–June).[3][4] Under the ISO week date system, June incidentally begins in either the 22nd or 23rd week of the year.[5]
As of 28 February 2025, June last occurred 121 days ago (UTC).[6][7][b] During each calendar year, no other month starts on the same day of the week as June.[8] The Julian calendar—which also has June and is still used as a ceremonial religious calendar by some of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy—is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. Thus, in this calendar, 1 June begins on 13 June. It will be 14 days behind in 2100.[9][10] June is abbreviated as Jun, and may be spelled with or without a concluding period (full stop).[11]
Etymology
June is ultimately derived from the Latin month of Iunius, named after the ancient Roman goddess Juno (Latin: Iūnō). The present English spelling was influenced by the Anglo-Normanjoin, junye and junie. It was also written in Middle English as Iun and Juin, while the spelling variant Iune was in use until the 17th century. It displaced the Old English name for June, ærra liþa.[12][13]
June originates from the month of Iunius (also called mensis Iuniuslit.'month of June')[14] in the original Roman calendar used during the Roman Republic. The origin of this calendar is obscure.[c]Iunius was originally the fourth month of the year, and had 29 days alongside Aprilis ("April"), Sextilis (later renamed Augustus "August"), September, November and December.[15] It is not known when the Romans reset the course of the year so that Ianuarius ("January") and Februarius ("February"), originally the 11th and 12th months respectively, came first—thus moving Iunius to the sixth month of the year—but later Roman scholars generally dated this to 153 BC.[16]
In ancient Rome, the period from mid-May through mid-June may have been considered inauspicious for marriages. The Roman poet Ovid claimed to have consulted the flaminica Dialis, the high priestess of the god Jupiter, about setting a date for his daughter's wedding, but was advised to wait until after 15 June.[17] The Greek philosopher and writer Plutarch, however, implied that the entire month of June was more favorable for weddings than May.[18]
In 46 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, which thus became known as the Julian calendar after himself. This reform fixed the calendar to 365 days with a leap year every fourth year, and made June 30 days long; however, this reform resulted in the average year of the Julian calendar being 365.25 days long, slightly more than the actual solar year of 365.2422 days (the current value, which varies).[19]
In AD 65, June was renamed as Germanicus in honour of the Roman emperor Nero. As recalled by the Roman historian Tacitus in his Annals, the Roman senator Cornelius Orfitus, who made the proposal, claimed that the name Junius had become inauspicious due to the executions of Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus and Decimus Junius Silanus Torquatus in AD 49 and AD 64, respectively.[20][21][22] The names did not survive and were likely erased when Nero was subjected to damnatio memoriae.[23] In AD 184, Roman Emperor Commodus briefly renamed all of the months after a name in his full title; June became Aelius.[24] However, this decision was repealed after his death in AD 192.[25]
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII promulgated a revised calendar—the Gregorian calendar—that reduced the average length of the calendar year from 365.25 days to 365.2425, correcting the Julian calendar's drift against the solar year.[26][27]
In the Northern Hemisphere, June marks the commencement of summer, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the start of winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of the traditional astronomical summer is 21 June, while meteorological summer commences on 1 June. In the Southern Hemisphere, astronomical winter starts on 21 June while meteorological winter begins on 1 June.[28]
The June solstice—known as the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere—occurs for one-day between 20–22 June (most often on 21 June), marking the longest day of the year in terms of daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere.[29][30] In places north of the Arctic Circle, this is when the midnight sun occurs for the longest period, during which the Sun remains visible even at midnight.[28] Conversely, it is polar night in places within the Antarctic Circle, during which the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours.[31]
In astronomy, certain meteor showers occur annually during this month. The Arietids—among the most intense daylight meteor showers of the year—last from 22 May until 2 July, peaking in intensity on 8 June; the Beta Taurids take place between 5 June and 18 July, peaking on 28 June; and the June Bootids commence between 22 June and 2 July, peaking on 27 June.[32][33] The full moon that occurs in June[d] is most commonly known as the strawberry moon because it coincides with the strawberry-picking season; other names for it include the rose moon, honey moon and the poetic midsummer moon.[34][35][36]
Climate
Summer thunderstorm in the Philippines during monsoon season, 3 June 2023Rice being harvested in Igunga, Tabora Region, Tanzania on 10 June 2016
June is one of the hottest months in the Northern Hemisphere, alongside July and August, with July being the hottest;[28][37] in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the inverse.[38] For instance, the lowest temperature ever recorded in South America occurred on 1 June 1907 in the town of Sarmiento in the Chubut Province of Argentina, measuring -32.8°C (-27°F).[39] June 2024 was the hottest June in recorded history at 1.22°C (2.20°F) above the 20th-century global average, beating the previous record held by June 2023.[40][41]
It is also National Safety Month in the United States, a month-long observance aimed at increasing awareness of, and ultimately decreasing, the number of unintentional injuries and deaths in the country.[66]National Smile Month, the largest oral health campaign in the United Kingdom and organised by the Oral Health Foundation, commences between alternating dates from mid-May to mid-June.[67][68][69] In Barbados, June is part of the Season of Emancipation which takes place between 14 April and 23 August to commemorate the emancipation of slaves of African descent.[70][71]
The quadrennial FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament and the most-watched sporting event on television, usually commences in June.[105][106] The annual Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and widely regarded as the most prestigious, traditionally occurred on the last Monday in June.[107][108][109]Glastonbury Festival, a major music festival in the United Kingdom, also takes place in June, attracting over 100,000 attendees.[110]
↑ Richards, E. G. (2013). "Calendars". In Urban, Sean E.; Seidelmann, P. Kenneth (eds.). Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac (3rded.). University Science Books. pp.593–595. ISBN978-1-891389-85-6.
↑ Rudich, Vasily (2005). Political Dissidence Under Nero: The Price of Dissimulation. Taylor & Francis. pp.143–144. ISBN978-1-134-91451-7.
↑ Rimell, Victoria (2015). "The Cambridge Companion to Seneca". In Schiesaro, Alessandro; Bartsch, Shadi (eds.). Seneca and Neronian Rome: In the Mirror of Time. p.128. ISBN978-1-107-03505-8.
↑ Mezzi, E.; Vizza, F. (2010). Luigi Lilio Medico: Astronomo e Matematico di Cirò[Luigi Lilio: Doctor, Astronomer and Mathematician from Cirò] (in Italian). Laruffa Editore. pp.14, 52. ISBN978-88-7221-481-7.
1 2 3 Hund, Andrew (2012). Philander, S. George (ed.). Encyclopedia of Global Warming & Climate Change. Vol.1 (2ed.). Sage Publishing. pp.1245–1246. ISBN978-1-5063-2075-5.
↑ Rocher, P. (n.d.). "Solstice d'été de 1583 à 2999"[Summer solstice from 1583 to 2999](PDF). Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides (in French). Observatory of Paris. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
↑ Berge, Jørgen; Johnsen, Geir (2020). "Life and Light at the Dead of Night". In Berge, Jørgen; Johnsen, Geir; Cohen, Jonathan H. (eds.). Polar Night Marine Ecology: Life and Light in the Dead of Night. Vol.4. Springer Nature. p.317. ISBN978-3-030-33208-2.
↑ Kronk, Gary W. (2013). "June Meteor Showers". Meteor Showers: An Annotated Catalog. Springer International Publishing. pp.106, 111–112, 134. ISBN978-1-4614-7897-3.
↑ Green, Aliza (2015). Field Guide to Produce: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Fruit and Vegetable at the Market. Quirk Books. pp.6–7, 15, 24, 96, 100–101. ISBN978-1-59474-848-6.
↑ Roehl, Evelyn (1996). Whole Food Facts: The Complete Reference Guide (2ed.). Healing Arts Press. p.37. ISBN978-0-89281-635-4.
↑ Dixie, Grahame (1999). "Summer Citrus: The Role and Prospects for Southern Africa". In Jaffee, Steven (ed.). Southern African Agribusiness: Gaining Through Regional Collaboration. World Bank Publications. pp.88–90. ISBN978-0-8213-4422-4.
↑ Coffey, Kathy; Hynes, Mary Ellen; Laughlin, Corinna (2012). Companion to the Calendar: A Guide to the Saints, Seasons, and Holidays of the Year (2ed.). Liturgy Training Publications. p.79. ISBN978-1-56854-260-7.
↑ Halloran, Vivian (2020). "Circumscribed Citizenship: Caribbean American Visibility". In Birkenmaier, Anke (ed.). Caribbean Migrations: The Legacies of Colonialism. Rutgers University Press. p.80. ISBN978-1-9788-1449-3.
↑ "Festivals in Brazil". Américas. 57–58. Pan-American Union: 26. 2005 – via Google Books. June is the month of Festa Juninas, a harvest festival popular throughout the country, and kicky forró is the music of choice.
↑ Grayson, Vicky (2009). "Health Promotion in Context". In Moyse, Karen (ed.). Health in Children and Young People: The Role of the Nurse. Wiley. p.368. ISBN978-1-4443-2265-1.
↑ McGrow, Lauren (2017). Missionary Positions: A Postcolonial Feminist Perspective on Sex Work and Faith-Based Outreach from Australia. Brill Publishers. p.50. ISBN978-90-04-35318-3.
↑ Okpara, Ngozi (2019). "Child Protection and Development in Nigeria: Towards a More Functional Media Intervention". In Oyero, Olusola (ed.). Media and Its Role in Protecting the Rights of Children in Africa. IGI Global. p.63. ISBN978-1-7998-0331-7.
↑ "World Hydrology Day". The Hydrographic Journal (123–126). The Hydrographic Society: UK & Ireland: 48. 2006. Thursday 21 June marks the second World Hydrography Day following its inaugural at the same time last year.
↑ Lang, Kenneth R. (2011). The Cambridge Guide to the Solar System. Cambridge University Press. p.4. ISBN978-1-139-49417-5.
↑ Bishop, Paul (2023). Discourses of Philology and Theology in Nietzsche: From the "Untimelies" to The Anti-Christ. Springer International Publishing. p.26. ISBN978-3-031-42272-0.
↑ Ilyas, Mohammad (1984). A Modern Guide to Astronomical Calculations of Islamic Calendar, Times & Qibla. Berita Publishing. p.80. ISBN978-967-969-009-5.
↑ Claus, Peter J.; Diamond, Sarah; Mills, Margaret Ann (2003). South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Taylor & Francis. p.91. ISBN978-0-415-93919-5.
↑ Caroli, Matteo; Valentino, Alfredo (2016). "Does Recurrence Matter? The Impact of Music Festivals on Local Tourist Competitiveness". In Bellini, Nicola; Pasquinelli, Cecilia (eds.). Tourism in the City: Towards an Integrative Agenda on Urban Tourism. Springer. p.226. ISBN978-3-319-26877-4.
↑ "June". Dictionary.com. IXL Learning. Retrieved 26 September 2024. a female given name
↑ Williams, William F. (2013). "Astrology". Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy. Taylor & Francis. pp.18–19. ISBN978-1-135-95522-9.
↑ Vidal Castro, Francisco (n.d.). "Yusuf I". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
↑ Sima Qian (c.91 BC). "Liu Bang". 史記 "Historical Records" (Records of the Grand Historian). (in Mandarin). Vol. 8. "四月甲辰,高祖崩長樂宮。" [On the first day of the fourth month, Emperor Gaozu collapsed in Changle Palace.]
↑ Kamenzin, Manuel (2020). Die Tode der römisch-deutschen Könige und Kaiser (1150-1349)[The Deaths of the Roman-German Kings and Emperors (1150-1349)] (in German). Jan Thorbecke Verlag. pp.355–380. ISBN978-3-7995-4385-9.
↑ Also spelled with a concluding full stop.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000C-QINU`"'
↑ Because of the division of the world into time zones, time, including the new month, moves progressively around the globe. Nearly all clocks are regulated according to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the principal time standard of the world; each time zone is defined by a standard time offset from UTC, ranging from UTC−12:00 (12 hours behind) to UTC+14:00 (14 hours ahead).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000019-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000001A-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000001B-QINU`"'
↑ The Romans usually described their first calendar, predating the Roman calendar, as one with ten fixed months—four "full months" (pleni menses) with 31 days and six "hollow months" (cavi menses) of 30 days, the latter including Iunius.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000034-QINU`"' Later Roman writers usually credited this calendar to Romulus, their legendary first king, around 738 BC. Nevertheless, this early version of the Roman calendar has not been attested, and a number of scholars doubt the existence of this calendar at all.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000035-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000036-QINU`"'
↑ Because it takes the Moon approximately 29.5 days to go through all of its lunar phases, this results in there usually being one full moon for every month of the year. Culturally, each full moon has its own name corresponding to the month in which it appears.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000059-QINU`"'
↑ In Tanzania, rice is harvested between May and July.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000065-QINU`"'
↑ Some countries observe Children's Day on different dates, including 20 November.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000AD-QINU`"'
↑ Some countries also observe Father's Day at different dates in June.'"`UNIQ--ref-000000CF-QINU`"'
1 2 Attributed to various sources:'"`UNIQ--ref-0000010E-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000010F-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000110-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000111-QINU`"'
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