WELCOME FALL! Sunday Marks First Day of Fall With Autumnal Equinox
By Space Coast Daily // September 22, 2024
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Welcome fall! The autumnal equinox—the September equinox or the fall equinox—arrives on Sunday, September 22. Not only do temperatures drop, but plant life slows down, and so do we. Read about the first day of fall, plus some fun facts and folklore.
When Is the First Day of Fall? The Autumnal Equinox?
The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrives on Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 08:44 A.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide.
What Is the Autumnal Equinox?
The autumnal equinox is an astronomical event that marks the start of autumn (or “fall”). In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox occurs in September; in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in March.
What Is an Equinox?
During an equinox, the Sun crosses what we call the “celestial equator”—an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the Sun’s center passes through this line.
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, when the Sun crosses the equator going from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox; when it crosses from south to north, this marks the vernal equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the reverse.
After the autumnal equinox, days become shorter than nights as the Sun continues to rise later and nightfall arrives earlier. This ends with the winter solstice, after which days start to grow longer once again.
The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night.” On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. (See more about this below.)
The Harvest Moon & the Fall Equinox
One of our favorite pieces of trivia surrounding the autumnal equinox involves its relationship with the full Moon. Curiously, the full Moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox is always called the ”Harvest Moon!” Why is that?
