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A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and set "due west". This occurs twice each year, around 20 March and 23 September. [a]
Sep 27, 2024 · equinox, either of the two moments in the year when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length; also, either of the two points in the sky where the ecliptic (the Sun’s annual pathway) and the celestial equator intersect.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 19, 2024 · This phenomenon is called an equinox, which comes from the Latin words "aequus" (equal) and "nox" (night). What causes an equinox? The Earth orbits the sun, at a tilt of about 23.5 degrees.
Jun 27, 2018 · The Latin meaning of the word “ equinox ” is “ equal night, ” referring to those two moments in the year when day and night are equal in length. In technical astronomical terms, the equinox is the moment at which the sun appears to cross the equator as a result of Earth ’ s rotation around the sun.
An equinox occurs when the position of the Sun is exactly over the Equator. When this happens, the hours of daylight and the hours of darkness are about equal almost everywhere on Earth. Equinoxes take place twice a year. Autumn, or fall, begins with the autumnal equinox. After the autumnal equinox, the days become shorter and the nights become ...
There are only two moments each year when neither pole points toward the Sun, and the Sun lies directly above Earth’s equator. These moments are the equinoxes. The March equinox happens sometime between March 19 and 21. The September equinox occurs sometime between September 21 and 24.
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Oct 19, 2023 · As its name suggests, an equinox indicates equally illuminated hemispheres, with the solar terminator equally dividing Earth from north to south. (The solar terminator is the shadowed line indicating daylight and sunlight on a globe.) A true equinox would indicate 12 hours of both day and night.
