NewzThe fall equinox is Tuesday, when light and darkness split the day evenly. It marks the beginning of fall for the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon.
Equinoxes are the only times when both the north and south poles are lit by sunshine at the same time. Equinoxes have been marked and celebrated around the world for centuries. Japan marks public holidays during the equinoxes.
At the Mayan site Chichen Itza in Mexico, people gather during the equinox to watch the sun create a shadow pattern that resembles a serpent descending a pyramid called El Castillo. Here’s what to know about the Earth’s orbit. As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle, making the sun’s warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet for most of the year.
During the equinox, the Earth’s tilt is neither toward the sun nor away from the sun, so both the Northern and Southern hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. The sun rises almost exactly due east, and it sets almost exactly due west. The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night.
That’s because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet. The Northern Hemisphere’s fall — or autumnal — equinox can land between Sept. This year it is Tuesday at 8:05 p.m.
Its spring — or vernal — equinox can land between March 19 and 21. The exact time of the equinox is the moment the sun is directly overhead at the equator. The solstices mark the times when the Earth is tipped most extremely either toward or away from the sun.
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