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Community => Recreation Commons => Destination: Alpha Centauri => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on September 20, 2025, 09:21:41 pm

Title: The first day of fall is Monday: Here's all you really need to know
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 20, 2025, 09:21:41 pm

The first day of fall is Monday: Here's all you really need to know about the fall equinox
Mary Wasson
Austin American-Statesman (https://www.statesman.com/)[/url]
Fri, September 19, 2025 at 11:39 AM EDT
3 min read


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The annual fall explosion of colors transforms the canyons of Lost Maples State Natural Area, especially along the Sabinal River, where an ancient and rare stand of Bigtooth Maples still survives. (Leroy Williams/Texas Parks and Wildlife)


Summer still has a tight grip on the Lone Star State through the weekend, so it may not feel like fall is right around the corner — but it is arriving Monday with the autumnal equinox. Before we start swapping summer clothes for winter layers or finding the perfect pumpkin patch for that Instagram photo, here are a few things to know about this annual astronomical event:


What is the equinox?

There are only two times each year when Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the Sun; these are called equinoxes. During an equinox, the Sun shines directly over the equator, resulting in equal amounts of sunlight on the northern and southern hemispheres. The exception is at the North Pole and the South Pole, where the sun straddles the horizon all day and never sets.


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Fall equinox this year occurs on Monday at 1:19 p.m. in the Central time zone. (NOAA)


This year, the autumn alignment officially occurs at 1:19 p.m. on Monday for those in the Central time zone. The sun will rise at 7:19 a.m. and set at 7:27 p.m., yielding 12 hours and 7 minutes of daylight.


What does the autumnal equinox mean?

The word equinox is derived from two Latin words: aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night.

During this time, the Northern Hemisphere transitions from its summer orientation — tilted toward the sun — to its winter orientation, in which it is tilted away from the sun (including across the United States). The days will grow shorter and the nights longer. By the winter solstice, which this year is on Dec. 21, there will be only 10 hours and 11 minutes of daylight.


Are we already into the fall season?

If you’re thinking, “Didn’t fall begin on Sept. 1?” you’re partly right. That's the start of meteorological fall, a three-month period that starts on the same date every year and is used by forecasters, meteorologists and climatologists for consistent record-keeping.

The autumnal equinox, also called astronomical fall, is the specific moment determined by Earth’s tilt and its position during its orbit around the sun. It doesn’t occur on the same date every year but typically falls between Sept. 21 and 24.

“By following the civil calendar and having less variation in season length and start, it becomes much easier to calculate seasonal statistics from the monthly statistics, both of which are very useful for agriculture, commerce, and a variety of other purposes,” the National Center of Environmental Information explained online on its website.


Why is it important?

Ancient societies used the equinoxes to plan agricultural cycles such as sowing and harvest. The autumnal equinox signaled the end of summer and time to gather crops and prepare for winter, while the vernal (spring) equinox indicated winter’s waning and the start of planting. In ancient Egypt, the annual flooding of the Nile River was a crucial seasonal marker that guided farming.

The fall equinox also inspired myths, festivals, and customs across cultures. The Maya, for example, aligned the El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá so a snake-like shadow appears along the staircase at equinox sunset and the Inca oriented temples and ritual stones to track the Sun’s seasonal path. In some traditions, observances such as Japan’s Shubun no Hi and India’s Navaratri occur around this time of year.

This season is also key to our brilliant fall foliage. Shorter days trigger trees to reduce chlorophyll production, revealing yellow and orange pigments and, under the right conditions, producing vivid reds and purples. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the changing colors of deciduous leaves are primarily driven by the reduction in daylight.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/first-day-fall-monday-heres-153922061.html