The word
equinox comes from the Latin words for "equal night." The fall and
spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the
celestial equator.
An equinox occurs twice a year (around 20 March and 22 September), when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.
An equinox occurs twice a year (around 20 March and 22 September), when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.
It is the
date at which sunset and sunrise are exactly 12 hours apart (known as the
equilux.) Because times of sunset and sunrise vary with an observer's
geographic location (longitude and latitude), the equilux likewise depends on
location and does not exist for locations sufficiently close to the Equator.
The equinox, however, is a precise moment in time which is common to all
observers on Earth.
It is interesting that the equinoxes, like the solstices, were so significant in prehistoric times, since they are more difficult to calculate (the only way of doing so is to interpolate the mid-point between the two solstices). The megalithic site at La Hougue Bie, for example, which I excavated in the 1990's is precisely alligned on the sunrise at the exinoxes (the sun rises at the same point on the horizon at both equinoxes).
ReplyDeleteHi Debra! Thanks for retweeting my interview on Morgen's site!
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