FIRST ALERT: First day of fall, autumn equinox today

yesterday
Author Victoria Lee
Autumn equinox

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Today marks the start of Fall, but what causes the date for the first day of Autumn to change every year?

Autumn equinox - Figure 1
Photo WMBF

At 7:43 this morning, we officially welcomed the first day of Fall! The Autumnal Equinox signifies the shift from summer to fall. On this day, the Earth experiences about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness since it is neither tilted towards nor away from the sun. Also, at noon, the sun will be right above the equator.

Here's an interesting tidbit: the term "equinox" comes from the Latin words "aequus," meaning equal, and "nox," meaning night. In the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice marks the day with the least amount of daylight, while the Summer Solstice features the day with the most sunlight!

Autumn equinox - Figure 2
Photo WMBF

This morning, the sun rose at 7:05 AM and will set at 7:11 PM. Thankfully, with today's bright weather, we'll be able to take advantage of 12 hours of daylight!

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