Yesterday it was summer \u2014 today it\u2019s fall. The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrived this morning at 2:50 A.M. EDT. The autumnal, or fall, equinox is an astronomical event that marks the start of autumn \u2014 or \u201cfall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During an equinox, the Sun crosses what is called the \u201ccelestial equator\u201d \u2014 an imaginary extension of the Earth\u2019s equator line into space.The equinox happens at the exact time when the Sun\u2019s center passes through this line.
From this point on days become shorter than nights because the Sun continues to rise later and nightfall arrives earlier \u2014 this ends with the winter solstice, when the days start to grow longer again.
The word \u201cequinox\u201d comes from the Latin aequus, meaning \u201cequal,\u201d and nox, meaning \u201cnight.\u201d At the time of the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The full Moon that occurs nearest the autumnal equinox is always called the \u201cHarvest Moon.\u201d Why? Around the fall equinox, the full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row, traditionally\u00a0 providing farmers with just enough extra light to finish their harvest before the killing frosts of fall set in.\u00a0
(Bonus information: The Harvest Moon is one of only two Moon names that are astronomical terms and aren\u2019t tied to one specific month. The full Moon nearest to the fall equinox is called the Harvest Moon and can be either the September or October full Moon. The other astronomical Moon name is the Hunter\u2019s Moon \u2014 the next full Moon after the Harvest Moon. It can occur in either October or November.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So \u2014 is today really<\/em> the first day of fall? Based on the astronomical definition of seasons \u2014 yes. Astronomical seasons are based on the Sun’s position in the sky. But according to the meteorological definition of seasons that\u2019s based on temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar, the first day of fall is usually considered to be September 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Equinoxes have been important to cultures since ancient times. Seems that people have always tracked the transitions of the Earth\u2019s journey around the sun. Yesterday it was summer \u2014 today it\u2019s fall. The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrived this morning at 2:50 A.M. EDT. The autumnal, or fall, equinox is an astronomical event that marks the start of autumn \u2014 … Continue reading
In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichen Itza and on the equinoxes, it looks as if a snake made of light slithers down the pyramid\u2019s steps.
In Peru, at Machu Picchu, an ancient stone monument called Intihuatana, that means \u201cHitching Post of the Sun,\u201d serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.
And Stonehenge, in England, was built with the equinoxes and solstices in mind.
I\u2019m always sad to see summer leave, but fall is a pretty good time of the year\u2026..
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"