Solstices and Equinoxes Explained

September 22, 2024 is the fall equinox signaling the official start of the season. Solstices and equinoxes follow the Earth’s orbit and tilt, and herald in the four seasons of the year. But what do these terms actually mean and why are they still celebrated today?

The earth’s orbit
People have been tracking the path of the Sun across the day sky for thousands of years, according to BBC’s Sky Night Magazine. They watched it rise and set in different positions during the course of the year and they built monuments – like Stonehenge in the UK to keep track of the suns movement.

Today, we know that the position of the Sun in the sky is due to several factors involving the movement and position of the Earth over the timeframe of a year. The Earth, which is  150 million kilometers from the Sun, orbits the star along an elliptical path, But the planet isn’t upright during its orbit, it is actually tilted at a 23.4° angle and spins on its axis.

When the top of the Earth is tilted towards the sun, the northern hemisphere experiences summer and the southern hemisphere experiences winter and six months later, the positions shift. The seasons are determined by two solstices and two equinoxes.

Solstices explained
Solstices – which come from the Latin sol for sun and sistere for standing still – occur in June and December and mark the summer and winter seasons, according to a blog from The Franklin Institute. Ancient astronomers actually believed the sun was standing still,

The solstices occur at the point where the sun appears to reach its highest or lowest points of the year. During the summer, the sun sets later and there is more daylight. But during the winter, the days are much shorter with some places barely receiving any sunlight at all.

Solstices are celebrated with many traditions and the best-known one is Christmas which occurs in December. But other celebrations come from pagan traditions that date back thousands of years before the advent of modern times.

Explaining equinoxes
Equinoxes occur in between the solstices and signal the beginning of spring and autumn. The term equinox also comes from Latin from the word aequus that means equal and nox that means night.

The equinoxes occur at the time when the movement of the Earth’s Equator on its axis is passing the same plane of the Sun’s equator.  The term equal night applies because It is at that time in March and September that there are as many daylight hours as night.

So celebrate the upcoming fall equinox by harvesting fall veggies, going apple picking, taking a foliage tour, and getting ready for Halloween. It really is a season to be  enjoyed!