Autumn Equinox Fast Facts: What You Need To Know

You know how, come Sept. 22, all anyone talks about is how it's "finally" fall? Sure, it's annoying, but they kind of have a point.

The thing is, fall doesn't exactly start midnight on September 1st. Our calendar doesn't necessarily sync up with the sun and our place on the orbit, so we have to come up with new ways of figuring out the start and end of seasons. Hence the autumn equinox.

Today's equinox is one of two equinoxes per year, the other being in March, and signifies the amount of daytime and nighttime being roughly equal.

Additionally, even though we assume that the equinox is a day-long event, it's way more precise! The actual equinox comes at a specific time. In New York, for example, it's at 10:21 AM, while in San Francisco, it's at 7:21 AM. 

Cooler yet, the equinox sometimes doesn't fall on the same date. While it normally falls on either September 22nd or 23rd, it's occasionally fallen on September 21st or 24th. However, a September 21st equinox hasn't occured since 1000 CE and a 24th hasn't happened since 1931.

If you live in a cooler, north climate, take note: The equinoxes are prime time to spot the Northern Lights.

Conversely, if you happen to be hanging around Chichen Itza during the Equinox, you can see the stone serpent descend from the top to the bottom of the pyramid stairs.

Who else is so ready for fall?