As the earth revolves around the sun, its north pole is tilted alternately towards and away from the sun. The date when the north pole is tilted most directly towards the sun is called the summer solstice. This day marks the official beginning of Summer. Because of this tilt of the earth's axis of rotation, the daily path of the sun varies during the year. In the summer, the sun rises north of east and sets north of west.
Days are long and nights are short.
In the winter, when the north pole is tilted away from the sun, days are short and nights are long. The sun rises south of east and sets south of west. On the summer solstice, the sun rises at its northernmost position along the eastern horizon and sets at its northernmost position along the western horizon. The high angle of the noontime sun increases the efficiency with which the sun heats the ground. Combined with long days and short nights, this is why the summer months are hot in our region.