From 1793 to 1805, the first day of each year began when the autumnal equinox fell at the Paris Observatory.ĭuring the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes, the Sun rises due east and sets due west, which means that the cardinal compass point is at 90 degrees, or straight towards the east and west, respectively.Ĭhemicals such as flavonoids, carotenoids and anthocyanins become more prominent in leaves after the Autumn Equinox, while Chlorophyll decreases, and this results in the vibrant ambers, reds and yellows of autumn. This is because the French monarchy was eradicated one day before the equinox in 1792. Autumn Equinox once marked the start of the new yearĪccording to the French Republican Calender, the Autumn Equinox marked the official start of every new year, between 17. In Britain, and in churches, Harvest Festival is celebrated on the Sunday closest to the Harvest Moon- people donate non-perishable food items to the underprivileged.Ħ. When the harvest moon occurs in October, it is known as the full corn moon because thay is the time of the corn harvest. This is the time when moonrise occurs earlier in the evening, as a result of which farmed are able to work longer. The first full moon occuring after the Autumn Equinox is termed as the Harvest Moon. The particles of plasma interact with atoms of oxygen, nitrogen and other elements in the atmosphere, and release photons of different wavelengths, causing beautiful colours of aurora. During the equinox, solar winds or the particles of plasma are better able to reach Earth's atmosphere, due to the Earth's axial tilt, through our geomagnetic field, and this interaction results in the strongest geomagnetic storms. This is because geomagnetic storms happen twice as frequently than the annual average. Autumn Equinox is the prime time for viewing Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Equinoxes signal the start of Northern LightsĪurora Borealis refers to a spectacular view of colourful lights in the night sky. 1931 was the last time Autumn Equinox happened on September 24, and it will happen next in 2303.Ĥ. Because of leap years, the day of the equinox is reset to September 22 or 23.

Instead, these six hours account for the additional day in a leap year. The Gregorian calendar does not consider those six hours. This happens because the Earth takes 365.25 days or 365 days and 6 hours to orbit the Sun, which means the Equinox occurs 6 hours later than the time at which it happened the previous year. The Autumn Equinox usually occurs on September 22 or 23, but occasionally, it can even occur on September 21 or 24. This is why the days are still a bit longer when the Autumn Equinox begins, and a few days after that, equal days and nights start occuring. Similar is the case with sunset, because it doesn't occur until the entire Sun completely sinks below the horizon. Though the centre of the Sun sets 12 hours after sunrise, the day begins a little before the centre of the Sun rises, because the upper edge of the Sun rises above the horizon before the centre. People living far from the Equator will experience longer days. In some places in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun will appear to be above the horizon when it is actually below it, because of the refraction of sunlight, according to National Weather Service. However, day and night are not precisely 12 hours each on the day of fall or spring equinox.

Day and Night are not precisely 12 hours eachĪequus, meaning 'equal', and nox, meaning 'night', are the Latin words from which the word equinox has been derived. After Autumn Equinox, there will be earlier sunsets and later sunrises in the Northern Hemisphere.Ģ. Equinox is a moment when Earth's axis neither tilts away nor towards the Sun. However, it is a single moment in time, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, which is an imaginary line in the sky above Earth's equator. Equinox is an instantaneous phenomenonĮquinox is usually thought of as a phenomenon lasting an entire day. However, on the spring and autumn equinoxes, the Sun shines almost equally on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Because of the Earth's axis being tilted with respect to the Sun-Earth plane, the Sun shines unevenly over the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and it is the tilt which results in seasons. The Spring or Vernal Equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20 or 21.Įquinoxes happen only twice a year. While it is Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, there will be Spring Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere.

According to NASA solar scientist Mitzi Adams, a kind of twilight will be prevalent at the North Pole from now until sometime in October because over the next few days after the Autumn Equinox, the Sun will go below the horizon.

Fall equinox blessings