The last few hours of summer 2012 are slipping away — the autumnal equinox occurs today (Saturday), marking the start of fall.
So what is the autumnal equinox?
Equinoxes fall on the halfway point between solstices and occur, according to the Washington Post, "when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are of roughly equal length, everywhere in the world."
The nearly equal 12 hours of light and darkness can be attributed to the Earth's lack of an axial tilt on the day of the equinox. In fact, the word equinox is derived from the Latin words aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night.
In Concord, according to sunrisesunset.com, the sun will come up at 6:56 a.m. and set at 7:06 p.m on the autumnal equinox. You'll notice that this is not actually a perfect 12 hours of light and darkness. As timeanddate.com reports that the disparity is because of issues such as light refraction and other reasons.
See you next year, summer. Hello fall, and happy autumnal equinox!
Here's the weekend forecast according to the National Weather Service:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 56. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 86. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
Are you happy that fall is here? Or do you already miss summer? Share your thoughts in the comments.
