Greetings,
You hear about this on the news, but what really is an equinox? Meteorologists consider Sept. 1 the start of fall for record keeping purposes, the autumnal equinox signals the beginning of astronomical fall. Fall this year begins on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015.
Equinox seems like a complex thing, but you would be surprised to hear it is pretty simple. Read on to find out more about it.
1. What is an equinox?
As reported by weather.com, twice a year around March 20 or 21 and Sept. 22 or 23, the sun’s rays shine directly over Earth’s equator. These days are known as the March equinox (vernal or spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere) and the September (autumnal) equinox.
2. What happens during the autumnal equinox?
The autumnal equinox, day and night are balanced to about 12 hours each all over the world. Instead of the Earth tilting away from or toward the sun, its axis of rotation becomes perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the Earth and the sun. Isn't this interesting?
“This change in the tilt causes the change in seasons with the northern hemisphere moving from the warmth of summer to the chill of winter,” said weather.com digital meteorologist Linda Lam. “This process includes a shift in the overall location of the jet stream which plays an important role in weather conditions.”
From that point on, daylight in the Northern Hemisphere gradually becomes shorter up until the winter solstice. This is the opposite of what occurs in the Southern Hemisphere, where daylight won’t grow any longer. You can find out more information on www.weather.com
I hope that you are enjoying Fall in Oregon. We live in a beautiful state and I enjoy the change of seasons every year.
Best Regards,
Jan Sohlman
RE/MAX Integrity
Serving Eugene/Springfield and Lane County
541-302-4810
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