Autumnal Equinox: The Moon Also Rises in My New Life

It is the summer’s great last heat, 
It is the fall’s first chill: They meet. 
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

Equinox is derived from two separate Latin terms: Equus meaning equal or even, and Nox meaning night; the sun crosses directly over the earth’s celestial equator, and day and night are of equal length. When this occurs we also have what is called a Harvest Moon which is a name given to a moon that is not tied to any specific month. It is the moon nearest the Autumnal Equinox which can fall in either October or September. Around this equinox the moon also rises around the time the sun is setting providing farmers extra time to harvest their crops. Typically, the moon rises around 20 to 30 minutes after the sunsets due to the angle of the moon’s orbit and the tilt of the earth lining up just right.

Sources:

Almanac: https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox

Brittanica: https://www.britannica.com/science/equinox-astronomy

USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/19/first-day-of-fall-autumnal-equinox-visuals/70855021007/

Last updated September 21, 2023