Fall Equinox is Here
Friday has marked the fall equinox meaning that the length of day and night is about equal.
At 5:05 a.m. EST Friday the sun was in direct line with Earth’s equator, making it the real point of equinox.
There are two equinoxes a year; in the spring and the fall.
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Fall equinox is celebrated in different ways and in numerous faiths around the world, and the first day of fall is also known as Cornucopia, Harvest Home, Night of the Hunter, and Witch’s Thanksgiving.
After Friday, days will begin to shorten at higher latitudes as the Earth continues its orbit. Washington, D.C. loses about two and a half minutes of daylight each day during the month of September, and temperatures will drop in response.
The first night of fall will feature the star Arcturus above the point where the sun sets and the Big Dipper will appear the right of the star, with its “bowl” to the right and “handle” to the left.
Also, Jupiter can be spotted almost all night long from the fall equinox through the end of October.
“Jupiter is by far and away the brightest point-like object in the sky,” said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine. “But later in the season it is going to get competition from Venus.”
The Cambridge, Mass. based editor spoke to National Geographic, adding, “By Thanksgiving, if you look low in the southwest after sunset as twilight comes on, Venus will be shining there, brighter than Jupiter.”
Throughout the winter and into May, Venus will appear very high and bright, in what MacRobert called a “dramatic showing.”
Another alteration that fall brings is Daylight Savings, and on November 6, remember at 2 a.m. to set your clocks backwards one hour.
