What is equinox and When is Autumnal Equinox 2017
As temperatures begin to drop in the Northern Hemisphere and the leaves begin to turn different shades of red, orange and yellow, the 2017 autumnal equinox, when day and night are the exact same length, is going about. While many individuals see Labor Day as the unofficial end to summer, the first day of fall 2014 does not begin until Monday, Sept. 22, the Farmer's Almanac states. It will end on Dec. 20, ahead of the winter solstice.
What is an equinox?
The earliest humans spent more time outside than we do. They used the sky as both a clock and a calendar. They could simply see that the sun's path across the sky, the length of daytime, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shift in a regular way throughout the year.
Our ascendants built the first catbird seats to track the sun's progress. One example is at Machu Picchu in Peru, where the Intihuatana stone, shown above, has been shown to be a precise guide of the date of the two equinoxes and other significant celestial periods. The word Intihuatana, by the way, literally means for tying the sun.
Today, we know each equinox and solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth's tilt on its axis and perennial orbit around the sun.
Because Earth doesn't orbit upright, but is in fact tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, Earth's Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places through the year in receiving the sun's light and warmth most directly.
We have an equinox twice a year-- spring equinox 2017 and fall-- when the tilt of the Earth's axis and Earth's orbit around the sun incorporate in such a way that the axis is inclined not either away from nor toward the sun.
Autumnal Equinox 2017
The last two years summer ended on Sept. 22, but it doesn't always occur on the same day. The first day of the autumnal equinox varies, depending on Earth's movement in relation to the sun. The autumnal equinox, which is also known as the September equinox, occurs when the sun moves across the celestial equator.
As a result, there are shorter days and longer nights in the Northern Hemisphere, which is extended further when Sunlight Saving Time occurs. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same equinox brings longer days, short nights and is the inception of spring.
This year's autumnal equinox will begin at 10:29 p.m. EDT. There will be 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness.
If people living in North America noticed leaves are hanging on trees a little longer than normal, there's a weather proverb that predicts the type of winter that will occur, the Farmer's Almanac states. "If autumn leaves are slow to fall, prepare for a cold winter.
