What is the difference between spring equinox and autumnal equinox?
The Autumn Equinox is the first day of the autumn season and occurs when the sun passes the equator moving from the northern to the southern hemisphere. The Spring Equinox is the first day of spring season and occurs when the sun passes the equator moving from the southern to the northern hemisphere.
What is the difference between the two equinoxes?
So, at the end of the day, while solstices and equinoxes are related, they happen at different times of the year. Just remember that solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year, while equinoxes occur when the day and night are equally as long.
What does solstice literally mean?
Solstices. The solstice (combining the Latin words sol for “Sun” and sistere for “To Stand Still”) is the point where the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year and thus ancient astronomers came to know the day as one where the Sun appeared to stand still.
What happens during March and September?
The equinoxes happen in March (about March 21) and September (about September 23). These are the days when the Sun is exactly above the Equator, which makes day and night of equal length.
What does the autumnal equinox indicate in September?
The autumnal equinox—also called the September or fall equinox—is the astronomical start of the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere and of the spring season in the Southern Hemisphere.
Why is the autumnal equinox important?
Why is it important? For ancient societies, the autumnal equinox marked the end of summer and the vernal (or spring) equinox marked the end of winter, which helped people track time-sensitive activity, such as when to plant crops.
What are the two equinoxes called?
On Earth, there are two equinoxes every year: one around March 21 and another around September 22. Sometimes, the equinoxes are nicknamed the “vernal equinox” (spring equinox) and the “autumnal equinox” (fall equinox), although these have different dates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.