Astronomically.. Date of the autumnal equinox in 2024

2024-09-04 2024-09-04T10:37:26Z

Arab Weather - Astronomical calculations revealed the start dates and lengths of the seasons for the year 2024. Summer began on Thursday, June 20, and lasts for 93 days and 15 hours, ending on Saturday, September 21. After that, fall begins on Sunday, September 22, the autumnal equinox , and lasts for 89 days and 20 hours, while winter begins on Saturday, December 21, and lasts for 88 days and 23 hours.

From Autumnal Equinox to Winter Solstice

After the summer solstice, the sun begins its apparent movement towards the south, and the inclination of its rays gradually decreases until it reaches zero on September 23, which is known as the autumnal equinox, when the sun's rays are perpendicular to the equator, and the length of night and day is equal throughout the globe. During this time, it is autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.

The apparent movement of the sun continues towards the south, and the inclination of its rays on the Earth's surface decreases, which leads to an increase in the length of the night and a shortening of the day in the northern hemisphere, while the opposite occurs in the southern hemisphere and the inclination of the sun reaches its maximum at -27 degrees, which is known as the winter solstice when the sun's rays are perpendicular to the Tropic of Capricorn. Thus, the Earth's revolution around the sun is completed in about 365.25 days.

On the day of the autumnal equinox, the sun is directly overhead on the equator, causing the length of day and night to be equal on Earth. On this day, the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere corresponds to the vernal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. After that, the day begins to gradually decrease until it reaches its shortest length on December 23 at the winter solstice, when the night becomes longer than the day.