Your web browser (Safari 7) is out of date. For more security, comfort and the best experience on this site: Update your browser Ignore EQ U INOX For the complete encyclopedic entry with media resources, visit: http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/equinox/ An equinox is a day when the sun is in its zenith over the Equator, and the Earth experiences days and nights of generally equal length. There are two equinoxes in a year: around March 21 and around Sept. 22. In the Northern Hemisphere, March 21 is the spring or vernal equinox. September 22 is the autumnal equinox. Many people are starting to use the terms March equinox and September equinox, instead of vernal, which means spring, and autumnal, which means autumn or fall. March and September are spring and fall in the Northern Hemisphere, but it's the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere s spring equinox takes place in autumn. Equinoxes are the only times of the year when the subsolar point is directly on the Equator. The subsolar point is an area where the sun's rays shine perpendicular to the Earth's surface a right angle. Only during an equinox is the Earth's 23.5-degree axis not tilting toward or away from the sun: the center of the sun is in the same plane as the Equator. Most planets experience equinoxes. On the gas giant Saturn, equinoxes are particularly dramatic. Saturn's spectacular ring system extends along the same plane as the planet's equator. Although the rings extend thousands of kilometers into space, they are actually very thin, only about a kilometer wide. During Saturn's equinoxes, the rings (and Saturn's equator) line up perfectly with the sun. Photos taken from the solar perspective reveal the rings as a razor-thin line. 1 of 5
Celebrating the Equinox For hundreds and even thousands of years, many cultures have celebrated the March equinox, unofficially marking the spring season, as a time of rebirth and renewal. The first day of the Baha'i and Iranian calendars falls on the March equinox every year. Vernal Equinox Day is a national holiday in Japan. The Jewish festival of Passover begins the night of a full moon after the March equinox. Easter, one of the most important holidays in the Christian religion, is one of the most familiar festivals related to the equinox. The date of Easter changes every year, and is calculated using the March equinox. In most Western Christian churches, Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the March equinox. In most Orthodox Christian churches, Easter falls after the March equinox and Passover, with the first full moon of spring, and on a Sunday after March 21. Fewer events mark the September equinox, and most are tied to harvest festivals. Chuseok, celebrated over a three-day period in the Koreas, is one of the most familiar of these folk festivals. The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah is marked around the September equinox every year, calculated as 163 days after the first day of Passover (which itself is calculated by the March equinox.) The holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, falls around the September equinox. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is traditionally observed with a daylong fast and prayer. Followers of modern Wicca and pagan spirituality celebrate both the March and September equinoxes as the major holidays Ostara and Harvest Home. Vocabulary 2 of 5
Term Term atonement Definition Speech Jewish and Christian belief Definition about how God forgives his Speech followers. axis an invisible line around which an object spins. calculate Christian verb to reach a conclusion by mathematical or logical methods. people and culture focused on the teachings of Jesus and his followers. Chuseok Korean harvest festival. Easter Equator equinox gas giant harvest Jewish national holiday Northern Hemisphere pagan most important celebration in the Christian religion, marking the day when the deity Jesus rose from the dead. imaginary line around the Earth, another planet, or star running east-west, 0 degrees latitude. period in which daylight and darkness are nearly equal. There are two equinoxes a year. one of the four enormous outermost planets in the solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus), composed mostly of gases instead of rock. Also called a Jovian planet. the gathering and collection of crops, including both plants and animals. having to do with the religion or culture of people tracing adjective their ancestry to the ancient Middle East and the spiritual leaders Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. celebration or commemoration marked by citizens of a nation. half of the Earth between the North Pole and the Equator. following the religious traditions of ancient Europe, adjective including polytheism and nature worship. 3 of 5
Passover perpendicular weeklong Jewish festival marking the exodus of ancient Jews from slavery in Egypt. Also called Pesach. at a right angle to something. Term Speech Definition plane flat surface of two dimensions (length and width). planet large, spherical celestial body that regularly rotates around a star. right angle 90-degree angle, formed by two perpendicular lines that intersect. Rosh Hashanah Jewish holy day. Also called Jewish New Year. season period of the year distinguished by special climatic conditions. Southern Hemisphere half of the Earth between the South Pole and the Equator. subsolar area of a planet where the sun is perceived to be direcly point overhead. vernal day, usually around March 21, when day and night are of equinox generally equal length. Also called the spring equinox. Wicca religion based on nature worship and the use of magic. Yom Kippur Jewish holy day marked with fasting and prayer. Also called the Day of Atonement. zenith point on the celestial sphere directly above a given position. Articles & Profiles National Geographic News: Autumn Equinox: Facts on the First Day of Fall Images National Geographic News: Vernal Equinox Facts on the First Day of Spring 4 of 5
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