equinox | EarthSky

Sunrise over a frozen landscape, with 2 silhouetted researchers looking on reverently.

Equinox sun above horizon all day at the poles

We know the equinox sun rises due east and sets due west. But what happens at Earth's poles? Does the sun look exactly the same at both poles?

Diagram: Earth inside a translucent sphere with orbit-like lines for celestial equator and ecliptic and celestial poles marked.

The equinox sun rises due east and sets due west

The 2026 September equinox occurs on 14:46 UTC (9:46 p.m. CDT) on March 20. And the equinox sun rises and sets due east and due west.

Sun barely peeking over forested horizon under bronze sky, reflected in foreground lake.

Are day and night equal on the equinox? Not exactly

Are day and night equal at an equinox? No. Earth's atmosphere and our sun team up to give us more day than night during an equinox.

Composite of 11 photos with sun just above a low mountain showing positions of the sun at dawn on 11 dates.

Equinox fun: Track the sun’s shift now until the solstice

On this equinox, start tracking the sunset point on your western horizon. You'll see a mighty shift between now and the June solstice.

A mountainous horizon with setting suns at far left and right, and 2 in the middle.

See the year’s fastest sunsets and sunrises around equinoxes

The year's fastest sunsets and sunrises happen around the equinoxes, and the slowest sunsets and sunrises happen around the solstices.

Bright pink and green auroras in the background, and a small church in the foreground.

Russell-McPherron effect gives us an aurora season: More auroras at equinoxes

There's an aurora season around the equinoxes, due to the way the magnetic fields of the sun and the Earth work in conjunction with sun-Earth geometry.

Solstices and equinoxes seen from space

See how sunlight falls on Earth's surface during the solstices and equinoxes, and get a better understanding of why Earth's tilt causes the seasons.

Star chart of constellation Aries with star Hamal labeled. The Pleiades and Hyades clusters below.

Meet Hamal, an ancient equinox star, in Aries the Ram

Meet Hamal, the brightest star in Aries, and learn why people sometimes refer to the March equinox point as the First Point in Aries.

Tall, black obelisk with shadow cast on radial blue and yellow checkerboard with times on it.

Look for equinox shadows in a direct line from west to east

Equinox shadows are unique. On this day - and only this day - the tip of an upright stick's shadow follows a straight path, west to east, all day long.

Wide partial arc of setting sun, glowing orange below and yellow above.

On the equinox, are day and night equal?

Day and night are mostly equal on the equinox. There's a bit more daylight because the sun is a disk, not a point, and Earth’s atmosphere refracts sunlight.

Star chart showing location of constellations on the September equinox.

Northern autumn ahead. Here’s your equinox sky

Northern autumn arrives on September 22 or 23, 2022, with the equinox. The time and date depend on precisely where you live. Find out more here.

JUpiter's four major moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Jupiter’s equinox and mutual events of its 4 major moons

The king planet Jupiter reaches its equinox on May 2, 2021, an event that always causes mutual events of Jupiter's 4 major moons. It's an eclipse season of the moons.

Two fingers holding up a rounded piece of glass with a sun setting over water behind.

Fastest sunsets happen near the equinoxes

We're talking about the amount of time needed for the body of the sun to sink below the horizon. It's true. The sun actually sets faster around the time of an equinox.

Dome of longitude and latitude lines with suns in perfect arc over the center.

Equinox sun is over Earth’s equator

At an equinox, and for several days before and after, the midday sun is straight up at noon seen from Earth's equator. At this equinox, the sun is crossing the celestial equator, moving from north to south.

An astronomer contemplates the equinox

You can think of the equinox not as a whole day, but as a point along Earth's orbit. Want to understand that better? Guy Ottewell offers some insights.

Are day and night equal at equinoxes?

September 22 is the equinox. The word means "equal night." Days and nights are nearly equal now at the equinox, but not quite. Here's why. Also, we've got a new word for you, "equilux." It's the word for when day and night are, in fact, equal.

SOHO looks at equinox sun

Four views of the sun taken by the SOHO solar observatory on the morning of the March 2019 equinox.

Full supermoon at March 2019 equinox

The full moon crests less than 4 hours after the arrival of the March 20, 2019 equinox. It’s the closest coincidence of a full moon with a March equinox between the years 2000 and 2030.

Why your equinox sun rises and sets due east and west

How is it possible for an equinox sun to rise due east - and set due west - for everyone around the world? How can you visualize it? Illustrations here.

Equinox sun rises due east, sets due west

At the equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west, seen from around the globe. How can you visualize it? Illustrations here.

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Equinox sun above horizon all day at the poles

The equinox sun rises due east and sets due west

Are day and night equal on the equinox? Not exactly

Equinox fun: Track the sun’s shift now until the solstice

See the year’s fastest sunsets and sunrises around equinoxes

Russell-McPherron effect gives us an aurora season: More auroras at equinoxes

Solstices and equinoxes seen from space

Meet Hamal, an ancient equinox star, in Aries the Ram

Look for equinox shadows in a direct line from west to east

On the equinox, are day and night equal?

Northern autumn ahead. Here’s your equinox sky

Jupiter’s equinox and mutual events of its 4 major moons

Fastest sunsets happen near the equinoxes

Equinox sun is over Earth’s equator

An astronomer contemplates the equinox

Are day and night equal at equinoxes?

SOHO looks at equinox sun

Full supermoon at March 2019 equinox

Why your equinox sun rises and sets due east and west

Equinox sun rises due east, sets due west