Autumn Equinox

We can usually tell when autumn is coming when the leaves start to change colour and the air outside starts to feel cool and crisp, but the official start of autumn is marked by an astronomical event known as the autumn equinox. An equinox occurs when the sun is positioned exactly over the equator, and this happens on two days of the year - one in September, and one in March. During an equinox, there is an equal amount of daylight and nighttime (12 hours of each).

The autumnal equinox occurs around September 22nd or 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere (the exact time varies due to world time zone differences). After the autumn equinox, the days become shorter and the nights become longer (in the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite takes place).

Learn a little more about the autumn equinox with some of our fun activities...

Leaves changing colour around the time of the Autumn Equinox

Our Autumn Equinox Resources