Tuesday officially marks the first day of summer. And this recent heat wave won’t be the only thing we will notice.

It is also the longest day of the year. According to timeanddate.com, Pittsburgh will see the sun rise at 5:49 a.m. local time and set at 8:53 p.m. That’s more than 15 hours of sunlight.

In terms of daylight, this year’s summer solstice will last nearly six hours longer than the winter solstice in December, the shortest day of the year.

Tuesday’s sunrise will be the earliest of 2022, which means a wee-hours wakeup for those who want to see it.

Nikki Rae Nameth must be an early riser. She recently photographed a spectacular sunrise from a jet bridge on Concourse B at Pittsburgh International Airport. The vibrant colors from the clouds and sky reflecting off the parked Spirit Airlines A320 make for a view well worth a little less sleep.

What else does summer make us think of? Traveling and vacations, of course. We imagine flying to places like the Bahamas, picturing a view like that taken by Ryan Phyllis out the window of a Delta Air Lines flight.

Thanks, Nikki and Ryan!

Our readers continue to pass along shots of unique aircraft, international airports, historical events, gorgeous views and even family vacation photos for this feature. We love them! Keep them coming—you can click here for submission guidelines.

A Delta Air Lines flight comes in to land at Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas. (Photo submitted by Ryan Phyllis)