Image Courtesy: Michael Kooiman

The Autumnal Equinox has Arrived

By Paul Trambley @yourmetpaul September 22, 2017 1:01 pm CDT

Although the weather has felt like fall at times, in recent weeks, the astronomical calender has still been in the summer season. It is not until the arrival of the autumnal equinox, that we can officially consider ourselves into the fall season. The moment that we passed from summer into the fall season was at 3:02 pm (Central Time) on September 22nd. Let's dig into exactly what that meant.

The word equinox comes from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). It is on the equinox that the earth's axis is neither tilted away nor towards the sun. The result is the length of the day and night are nearly equal across the globe on the equinox. In fact, residents who live on the equator will see the sun directly overhead at noon. It is only on the equinox that the sun will rise due east and set due west. The reason we say that the day and night are nearly the same on the equinox is twofold. First off, the earth is not a perfect sphere, which will result in some small disparities in daylight. The second reason is due to the way the sun's rays get bent over the horizon. Because of this, the actual amount of daylight will vary from 12 hours, six minutes and thirty seconds at the equator, to 12 hours and sixteen minutes for folks living near 60 degrees latitude. For a person standing (or floating) on the ice at the North Pole, the sun would be seen skimming the horizon for the last time. Twilight would then still be seen at the pole until early October. Thereafter, complete darkness settles in and lasts until early March.

File:Equinoxes et solstices.svg

Image Courtesy: Duduf

There are certain myths that continue to live on concerning the equinoxes. One is that you can balance an egg easier on the equinox than on any other day due to some balance in the gravitation pull that day. Egg balancing can actually be done with some skill and the fortune of having a well balanced egg on any day, and is no easier on the equinox. So don't spend too much time trying this feat unless you are planning on having scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Image result for egg balancing

Image Courtesy: Wikihow.com

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