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What you should know about the autumn equinox

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The leaves are changing, pumpkin-flavored food is back, and football is on TV. Fall is back, baby!

The official first day of fall, also known as the autumnal equinox, is this weekend in the Northern Hemisphere. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it's one of only two days. The other is the spring equinox, when the sun is directly over the equator, essentially dividing day and night into equal sections.

“On any other day of the year, either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun because the Earth's axis is tilted 23.4 degrees,” says Britannica. This means that one hemisphere receives more sunlight than the other.

According to Britannica, from now until the winter solstice on December 21, the days will get shorter and the nights will get longer.

Here you can find out when fall officially begins and how long it will last.

What are fall colors?: How changing leaves create spectacular autumn colours

When is the first day of autumn?

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the autumn equinox is scheduled to occur on Sunday, September 22nd at 8:44 a.m. ET. The equinox occurs at the same time around the world.

When is the first day of winter?

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which is expected to occur on December 21 at 4:19 a.m. ET in 2024, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on X. @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].

By Vanessa

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