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The summer solstice is Saturday at 6:51 a.m. EDT — the moment the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer, an imaginary line north of the equator.

This is the first day of astronomical summer and also the longest day of the year for people in the Northern Hemisphere. Washington, D.C., for example, will have nearly 15 hours of daylight.

So what's actually happening in space?

The Earth rotates around the sun, always tilted on its axis at a 23.5-degree angle.

Because of this tilt, the latitudes of 23.5 degrees north and 23.5 degrees south are important. The line at this latitude above the equator is called the Tropic of Cancer, and below the equator it's called the Tropic of Capricorn.

On Saturday morning, the Earth will be positioned so that the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer, which crosses countries such as Mexico, China and India. Summer Solstice ,Summer Solstice 2014, First Day Of Summer 2014