11/18/2023 0 Comments 2020 solstice and equinox datesWhen it is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the areas north of the Arctic circle receive sunlight for a full 24 hours, while areas south of the Antarctic circle have a full day of total darkness. The summer solstice, which occurs around the 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere, is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight while the winter solstice, on or around the 21 December in the Northern Hemisphere, is the day with the shortest period of daylight. These occur twice a year and are referred to as the 'summer solstice' and 'winter solstice'. The equilux is when day and night are equal and occurs a few days before the spring equinox, and a few days after the autumn equinox. The Sun, therefore, appears to rise before its centre at the horizon, giving more daylight than you might expect (12 hours 10 minutes on the equinox). As well as this sunlight is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere. This is because the Sun appears as a disk in the sky, and the top half rises above the horizon before the centre. On the equinox, the length of day and night are only nearly equal. Similarly, the autumn equinox marks the start of autumn as the night becomes longer than the day. The spring equinox marks the beginning of spring and from this day forward the day is longer than the night. During the equinox, day and night will be around the same length which is evident in the word's origin derived from the Latin equi (meaning 'equal') and nox (meaning 'night'). They occur between the summer and winter solstices marking the point the Sun crosses the equator's path and becomes positioned exactly above the equator between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere occurs twice a year around 20 March (the spring equinox) and around 22 September (the autumn equinox). To those in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy the beginning of milder weather after a hot summer and say hello to early sunsets and late sunrises.The equinox and solstice define the transitions between the seasons of the astronomical calendar and are a key part of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The September equinox is a time that welcomes Earthlings to a new season. Solstices are commonly referred to as the longest (summer solstice) or shortest (winter solstice) day of the year. Solstices are when the Sun appears to reach the lowest or highest point in the sky all year they mark the beginning of summer or winter. On the other hand, stronomical seasons are marked by the equinoxes and solstices that each happen twice a year. Meteorologists group the seasons into time periods that line up with the weather and monthly calendar: December through February is winter, March through May is spring, June through August is summer, and September through November is fall. While astronomical seasons are defined by the Earth’s journey around the Sun, meteorological seasons are guided by annual temperature cycles. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true – the days begin to last longer.Ī visual aid to better understand how the Earth’s tilted axis causes the different seasons throughout the year in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Following the autumnal equinox, the Northern Hemisphere gradually experiences later sunrises and earlier sunsets – making the days shorter and the nightfall longer. He says that this results in nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world – except for the North and South Pole where the Sun approximately straddles the horizon for the entire day. CDT.ĭuring an equinox, the Sun shines directly over the equator, according to Alphonse Sterling, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. For 2022, this year’s autumnal equinox (for the Northern Hemisphere) or spring equinox (for the Southern Hemisphere) occurs on September 22 at 8:04 p.m. This year, the autumnal equinox occurs on September 22, marking the official start of Fall 2022.Ĭomplemented by cooler temperatures and falling leaves, the September equinox heralds the official beginning of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere. Representation of equinoxes and solstices.
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