Equinox
Equinox. You’ve probably heard the term a number of times, but do you actually know what it means? What is the ‘Spring Equinox‘ and what is the ‘Fall Equinox‘?
The word ‘Equinox‘ comes from the Latin word ‘aequus‘ which means equal and the Latin word for night which is ‘nox‘.
‘Equinox‘ refers to the days of the year when the day and night are EQUAL IN LENGTH.
An Equinox happens twice a year; once in the Spring, the Spring Equinox and once in the Fall, the Fall Equinox.
The Vernal (or Spring) Equinox marks the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and occurs when the sun moves north across the Equator in March. The Autumnal (or Fall) Equinox marks the first day of fall and occurs in the northern hemisphere when the sun crosses the equator heading to the south in September. ( NOTE: In the southern hemisphere the seasons are reversed – the September equinox marks the start of astronomical spring and the March equinox marks the start of astronomical autumn)
In contrast to an Equinox, a Solstice is when the sun’s (apparent) path is the farthest North or South from the Equator which results in the longest or shortest day of the year (depending on which hemisphere of the Earth one is located in.)