It’s official! Fall officially arrived on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 10:21 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The sun passed directly over Earth’s equator, marking the official start of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.
The first day of Fall can also be referred to as : The Autumn Equinox
It can also be referred to as the Autumnal Equinox.
And it is referred to as The September Equinox.
And, of course we can’t forget that it is often referred to as The Fall Equinox.
The actual word, Equinox, comes from the Latin words, Equi, which means equal, and Nox , which means nights. Equal Nights get’s it’s name because the sun shines directly on the Earth’s Equator and brings almost the same amount of light as darkness, thus The Equinox.
For those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, September 22 will be their Spring Equinox, which is also known as the Vernal Equinox. The temperatures have begun to warm and the opposite occurs in the Northern Hemisphere where the cooler autumn season begins.
During the Equinox, as you see in the diagram above, the Earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line that connects the Earth and the Sun during the Equinox. Again, the baton is passed in the Northern Hemisphere from Summer to Fall, and in the Southern Hemisphere the baton is passed from Winter to Spring. It is the exact opposite!
From this point on, daylight hours will gradually grow shorter until the Winter Solstice in December in the Northern Hemisphere, and the reverse, days will grow longer until the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. However, during the events of the Vernal Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, mirroring the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, day and night are balanced to nearly 12 hours each all over our world.
Depending on where we live in the US, the Average Fall Temperatures range from about 70 degrees F, to about 30 degrees F.
Another interesting fact, that I didn’t know, is Meteorologists and Climatologists Don’t follow the Astronomical Seasons. Instead, September 1 is considered by them to be the first day of Fall. They do not accept the September Equinox date. As with the first day of Winter, The do not look to the Winter Solstice, but instead use December 1st, and the first day of Spring is March 1, and the first day of summer is June 1. Each of these seasons are known as “meteorological seasons”, because they run three full months, and they are based on the annual temperature cycle instead of Earth’s rotation around the Sun.
The Fall is a really enjoyable Season for most of us!
In some cultures, the beginning of Autumn is celebrated by feasting on the summer’s harvest and by making preparations for winter.
In other cultures, it’s a time to remember and honor the dead, by visiting, cleaning and decorating their graves. Could this be why we celebrate Halloween in the fall?
Bring on the changing leaves! Bring on the Football! Bring on the Hot Apple Cider! Put your boots on! Chop Firewood! And don’t forget to pour another mug of Pumpkin Spice Latte! The Summer Baton has been passed and Fall 2016 is OFFICIALLY HERE!
I hope you are as happy and excited about the Fall as I am!! Tell me what some of your favorite fall things are in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you think!
You Are Awesome!
xooxoo
Sookie
