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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Stuart Clark

Why the autumn equinox isn’t actually when day and night are equal

Earth
The last summer sunset of 2024, on 22 September in Colchester.
The last summer sunset of 2024 on 22 September in Colchester. Photograph: James Farndell

So that’s it for the summer. The season comes to a close for us in the northern hemisphere this week on 22 September as we enter the autumn.

The moment is marked by the autumnal equinox, which is the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator, moving south, and the days become shorter than the nights. The exact moment this happens is 19:19 BST on 22 September and it is caused by the movement of Earth along its orbit, gradually tilting the northern hemisphere away from the sun.

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