September 22nd marks the 2022 fall equinox in the northern hemisphere. The fall, or autumnal equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator going south. Also, this day marks the official first day of fall in the northern hemisphere.
What is an Equinox?
During an equinox, the sun crosses the celestial equator. The celestial equator is an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator into space. Therefore, the fall equinox occurs precisely when the Sun’s center passes through this line.
The word “equinox” comes from the Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, meaning “night.” This fits, as both the spring and fall equinox show a day and night of roughly the same length. Further, for the northern hemisphere, nights will continue to lengthen until the longest night on the winter solstice. After that, days will begin to lengthen yet again, until the spring equinox.
All these shifts in temperature and amount of light received are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis and its constant orbit about the Sun. For example, Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees. So, as the Earth make a yearly revolution around the sun, different hemispheres show different exposures to the Sun’s light and warmth.
Unique Facts About the Day
- During an equinox, it is a great time to find due east and due west. This is because, technically, the sun rises due east and sets due west. Amazingly, this is true no matter where you live on Earth.
- Curiously, the full Moon that occurs nearest to the fall equinox is known as the Harvest Moon. It comes as no surprise that this designation is made due to farming. Around the fall equinox the full Moon rises around sunset for several nights. This provides enough extra light for harvests to wrap up before fall frosts.
- The star “Fomalhaut,” also known as the Loneliest Star, or Autumn Star, which appears near Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky, can be seen as it arcs across the southern skies in the northern hemisphere.
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Sources: Britannica; Almanac; EarthSky
Image Source: AdobeStock
