Autumn Equinox

The Autumnal equinox—also known as the first day of Falll in the Northern Hemisphere. In this article we discuss what that means and how we can best enjoy those early days of Fall. 

What Is the Autumnal Equinox?

The autumnal equinox is an astronomical event that marks the start of autumn (or “fall”). In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox occurs in September; in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in March. 

What Is an Equinox?

During an equinox, the Sun moves across the  “celestial equator”—an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator. When the sun intersects with this line, we have the precise moment of equinox.

Following the autumnal equinox, our daylight becomes shorter and nighttime becomes longer as dawn becomes later and dusk arrives earlier.  Note that this shortening of days began with the Summer Solstice that occurs in June in the northern hemisphere. This period ends with the Winter solstice when the daylight starts to get longer once again.

The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, ”night.” At the precise moment of the equinox, day and night are equal in length. 

The Harvest Moon

There is an interesting phenomenon surrounding the full moon around the time of the equinox.  The full Moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox is  called the Harvest Moon. 

Since the Harvest Moon is always the full Moon nearest to the equinox, this can occur in either September or October. This year, the Harvest Moon happened on Saturday, September 10.

Questions about the Autumn Equinox

Q: Are Day and Night really Equal on the Equinox?

A:  Well, yes & no

Q: Is it true that you can Balance an Egg on the Equinox?

A: Yes, but

The myth is that you can only balance an egg on the Equinox, but the truth is you can balance an egg on any day of the year. So, yes you can balance an egg on the equinox, but it is not limited to only at that moment. 

Fall and It's Ancient Traditions

Many cultural traditions around the fall equinox have ancient roots. 

• At Machu Picchu in Peru, an ancient stone monument called Intihuatana—which means “Hitching Post of the Sun”—serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.  
• In England, Stonehenge was also built with the equinoxes and solstices in mind.
• In Mexico, near Cancun, giant pyramid called Chichen Itza was built by ancient Mayans. On both the Fall and Spring equinox,as the sun hits the ancient steps, it appears as though a snake of light is moving across the the pyramid. 

One of our favorite parts of Fall is that we move from drinking iced tea to hot teas. Getting your antioxidant boost from green tea has never been easier than with I.E. Green Tea. Just add your liquid packet of organic pre-brewed tea to hot or iced water and enjoy! Learn all about the benefits of I.E. Green Tea here.

Tell us about some of your favorite traditions at hello@iegreentea.com