By Rod Hill on 2011-09-22
Autumnal Equinox – Friday, September 23
Fall officially begins with the autumnal equinox, which takes place on Friday, September 23, 2011 at 2:05 am PDT). At that point the Sun is directly above the Earth’s equator, and the significance of this is that every point on Earth will, for one day, experience nearly 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of daylight. The Sun rises due east and sets due west on the equinox. At the South Pole the penguins will be celebrating the first appearance of the sun in six months. By the same token, at the North Pole the polar bears will be bracing themselves for six months of darkness.
____________________________________
The above is courtesy of Jim Todd, Planetarium Manager, OMSI
What to expect in the coming weeks