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The summer solstice arrived Monday afternoon, officially heralding the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. Because this year’s solstice also coincides with a rare astronomical occurrence that will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere sky, Google has created a special animated doodle to mark the occasion.
The doodle, created by Doodler Nate Swinehart, follows a squirrel as it tries to snag a strawberry from among a family of anthropomorphized rocks. Along with the summer equinox, the doodle commemorates the “strawberry moon,” the nickname for June’s full moon.
While these are obviously common occurrences, the pairing of them on the same day is very rare. According to AccuWeather.com, the last time these two phenomena coincided was back in 1967, and it won’t happen again until 2062.
And to ensure those down under don’t feel left out in the cold, Google also created an animated doodle to mark the winter solstice for people living in Australia, New Zealand and environs. The doodle shows the same rocks blanketed in a fresh layer of snow, sans squirrel and strawberry.
