Also, some countries don't have fixed season dates but determine the start and end of spring based on average temperatures. In meteorology, the spring season begins on a different date. Sun rise/set and day length around this equinox.This corresponds to Saturday, 23 September 2023, 06:50 UTC. In Odesa, Odessa, Ukraine: Saturday, 23 September 2023, 09:50 EEST (Change location) Spring Equinox, Southern Hemisphere (September)Īustralia, New Zealand, South America, southern Africa Business Date to Date (exclude holidays).Just like for the summer and winter solstices, druids still gather at Stonehenge to mark the autumn equinox, watching the sun rise above the famous stones. As part of the pagan festival of Mabon, animals would be slaughtered and preserved at the equinox, in order to provide enough food for the oncoming winter. The autumn equinox is closely associated with the harvest, with the UK’s traditional harvest festival falling on the Sunday of the full moon closest to its position in the calendar. The autumnal equinox marks a time when day and night are roughly equal in length (Photo: Getty Images) How is the autumn equinox celebrated?Īlthough the summer and winter solstices are perhaps more commonly associated with ancient celebrations, the equinoxes also carry significance for people across the world. Under the meteorological calendar, spring then always encompasses March to May, with summer lasting from the start of June until the end of August. So every year, autumn lasts from 1 September until 30 November, with winter then kicking off at the beginning of December. It splits the year into four seasons of three full months each based on the Gregorian calendar, which makes it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics. While these provide the basis for the astronomical seasons, with the dates changing slightly from year to year, the meteorological definitions are much simpler. The arrival of autumn coincides with a gradual return to normality during the Covid-19 pandemic (Photo: AFP/Getty Images) Astronomical autumn vs meteorological autumn The autumnal and spring equinoxes mark when the two hemispheres swap over, while the summer and winter solstices denote the sun reaching its most northerly and southerly points. For six months each of the year, either the northern or southern hemisphere is pointing slightly towards the sun, bringing the longer days and warmer temperatures of spring and summer. The actual date when the timings are equal is referred to as the equilux, and falls a few days before the spring equinox and a few days after the autumn equinox. In theory the planet should get 12 hours of daylight on darkness on the equinox dates, although this is complicated slightly by the Earth’s atmosphere affecting the way we see sunlight. The name “equinox” is derived from the Latin aequus, which means equal, and nox, the term for night. On the two dates, both the northern and southern hemispheres share the sun’s rays equally, and night and day are, for 24 hours, roughly the same length. The equinoxes carry significance for many people around the world (Photo: Getty Images) If you were to view the sun from the equator on the day, it would theoretically rise exactly due east, and set due west. The astronomical event is the moment the Earth’s equator passes directly through the centre of the sun’s path, lining up in unison as the world gradually turns. In 2020, this autumnal equinox takes place on Tuesday 22 September, technically at 1.30pm – it can occur at any time between the 21 and 24 September, with last year’s taking place on 23 September.Įquinoxes happen twice a year, with the spring equinox generally falling around the 20 March, as was the case this year. Its position is dictated by the Earth’s orbit, and it falls at a slightly different time each year. The first day of autumn depends on whether you use the astronomical or meteorological definition (Photo: Getty Images) When is the autumn equinox?Īccording to the astronomical definition of the seasons, autumn for the northern hemisphere begins with the September equinox.
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