In astronomy, an equinox is defined as the moment when the sun reaches one of two intersections between the ecliptic and the celestial equator.
The word "equinox" comes from the Latin for "equal night"; the equinoxes in March and September are the two occasions each year when the day and the night are of equal duration. For measuring the length of a day, sunrise is the moment when the sun is half-above the horizon and sunset is the moment when the sun is half-under the horizon. Using this definition, the length of the da ...
On the equinoxes, everywhere over the globe, the Sun rises true east (parallel to lines of latitude), sets at true west, and the length of the day equals the length of the night.
Equinox - March equinox.
At the North pole the Sun passes from a 6-month-long night to a 6-month-long day.
At the Arctic circle the Sun reaches an altitude of 23° in the South.
At the Tropic of Cancer the Sun reaches an altitude of 67° in the South.
At the equator the Sun rises in a vertical line from the East on the horizon to the zenith, and then sets in a ...
On the equinoxes, everywhere over the globe, the sun rises true east (parallel to lines of latitude), sets at true west, and the length of the day equals the length of the night.
Equinox - March equinox.
At the North pole the sun passes from a 6-month-long night to a 6-month-long day.
At the Arctic circle the sun reaches an altitude of 23° in the South.
At the Tropic of Cancer the sun reaches an altitude of 67° in the South.
At the equator the sun rises in a vertical line from the East on the horizon to the zenith, and then sets in a ...
