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Learn the basic concept of equinox and solstice, the two events that affect the length of day and night on Earth. Find out the dates, causes and effects of equinox and solstice with a table and a quiz.
Learn how the tilt of Earth's axis affects the seasons and the Sun's path in the sky. Find out when and why solstices and equinoxes occur, and how they mark the start of each season in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Alison Eldridge
- The Equinoxes
- The Solstices
- Equinoxes and Solstices on Other Planets
There are only two moments each year when neither pole points toward the Sun, and the Sun lies directly above Earth’s equator. These moments are the equinoxes. The March equinox happens sometime between March 19 and 21. The September equinoxoccurs sometime between September 21 and 24. In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox is also known as t...
The farthest points from the equator where the Sun can appear directly overhead are referred to as the tropics. The tropics are lines of latitudethat circle the Earth above and below the equator, at about 23.4 degrees north and south. This angle is set by Earth’s axial tilt. There are two moments each year when one of Earth’s poles is tilted the mo...
Every planet in the solar system, apart from Mercury, is tilted on its axis of rotation. This means each planet has its own equinoxes and solstices. Venus and Jupiter have small axial tilts of 2.6* and 3.1 degrees, respectively. Venus orbits the Sun more quickly than Earth—in Earth time, an equinox or solstice happens on Venus every couple of month...
Dec 21, 2023 · Learn the meanings and origins of equinox and solstice, the two events that mark the transitions between seasons. Find out when they occur and how they vary depending on your hemisphere.
The Equinox (Vernal & Autumnal) There are only two times of the year when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes. These events are referred to as Equinoxes.
The seasons (with the transition points of the June solstice, September equinox, December solstice, and March equinox) and Earth's orbit characteristics. For an observer at the North Pole, the Sun reaches the highest position in the sky once a year in June. The day this occurs is called the June solstice day.
Here’s a handy mnemonic device - equi means equal, and nox means night, which tells you that the day and the night are of equal length. So, at the end of the day, while solstices and equinoxes are related, they happen at different times of the year.
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