1 00:00:20,787 --> 00:00:22,689 AUTUMNAL EQUINOX - ITS FALL 2 00:00:22,789 --> 00:00:26,326 DEAN: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS, I'M DEAN REGAS ASTRONOMY 3 00:00:26,426 --> 00:00:27,827 FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY. 4 00:00:27,927 --> 00:00:29,929 JAMES: AND I'M JAMES ALBURY THE DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA 5 00:00:30,030 --> 00:00:32,365 SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA. 6 00:00:32,465 --> 00:00:36,102 WERE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 7 00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:38,772 OK DEAN, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING? 8 00:00:38,872 --> 00:00:41,775 DEAN: I HEARD A RUMOR THAT YOU CAN BALANCE AN EGG, 9 00:00:41,875 --> 00:00:46,312 ON-END, ON THE SPRING OR FALL EQUINOXES SO I WANTED TO TRY IT OUT. 10 00:00:46,413 --> 00:00:47,347 JAMES: ANY LUCK? 11 00:00:47,447 --> 00:00:48,615 DEAN: NOT YET. 12 00:00:48,715 --> 00:00:51,618 JAMES: (I HATE TO TELL DEAN BUT, THATS JUST AN URBAN 13 00:00:51,718 --> 00:00:52,952 LEGEND. 14 00:00:53,053 --> 00:00:55,889 BUT WHAT DOES HAPPEN DURING THE EQUINOX IS TRULY AMAZING. 15 00:00:55,989 --> 00:00:58,892 THE SUN RISES DUE EAST AND SETS DUE WEST). 16 00:00:58,992 --> 00:01:01,461 DEAN: AND THERE ARE 12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND 12 17 00:01:01,561 --> 00:01:03,730 HOURS OF DARKNESS OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD. 18 00:01:03,830 --> 00:01:06,499 JAMES: AND THE AUTUMNAL EQUNIOX IS COMING UP ON SEPTEMBER 19 00:01:06,599 --> 00:01:07,500 23RD. 20 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,269 SO WHATS REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN? 21 00:01:09,369 --> 00:01:10,904 DEAN: LETS SHOW YOU! 22 00:01:11,004 --> 00:01:14,274 JAMES: AUTUMN OFFICIALLY BEGINS AT THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, 23 00:01:14,374 --> 00:01:17,010 SEPTEMBER 23RD, SO GET READY FOR SOME 24 00:01:17,110 --> 00:01:19,779 IN-YOUR-FACE SUNRISES AND IN-YOUR-FACE SUNSETS. 25 00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:22,816 DEAN: ON THE EQUINOXES THE SUN RISES DUE EAST 26 00:01:22,916 --> 00:01:24,651 AND SETS DUE-WEST. 27 00:01:24,751 --> 00:01:29,222 THAT MEANS IF YOU DRIVE TO WORK ON A DUE-EAST ROAD AT SUNRISE THE SUN WILL RISE 28 00:01:29,322 --> 00:01:32,625 DIRECTLY OVER THE YELLOW LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. 29 00:01:32,725 --> 00:01:36,262 AND IF YOU DRIVE HOME AT SUNSET ON A DUE-WEST HIGHWAY, 30 00:01:36,362 --> 00:01:41,634 THE SUN WILL SET RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. 31 00:01:41,734 --> 00:01:44,370 THAT COULD MAKE FOR A BLINDING COMMUTE! 32 00:01:44,471 --> 00:01:47,874 JAMES: YOU ACTUALLY MIGHT NOTICE THIS DAZZLING SUNRISE 33 00:01:47,974 --> 00:01:52,078 AND SUNET FOR A WEEK ON EITHER SIDE OF THE EQUINOXES, 34 00:01:52,178 --> 00:01:53,813 AND DRIVING CAN BE TREACHEROUS. 35 00:01:53,913 --> 00:01:56,983 SO GET OUT YOUR SUNGLASSES AND PUT THOSE SUN VISORS DOWN. 36 00:01:57,083 --> 00:02:00,086 JAMES: BUT WHAT ARE THE EQUINOXES ANYWAY? 37 00:02:00,186 --> 00:02:05,492 WELL, THE WORD 'EQUINOX' COMES FROM THE LATIN, 'EQUI' WHICH MEANS EQUAL, AND 'NOX' WHICH 38 00:02:05,592 --> 00:02:07,293 MEANS NIGHT. 39 00:02:07,393 --> 00:02:11,831 SO ON BOTH THE SPRING AND FALL EQUINOXES, THE HOURS OF NIGHT ARE EQUAL TO THE HOURS 40 00:02:11,931 --> 00:02:13,032 OF DAYLIGHT. 41 00:02:13,133 --> 00:02:14,567 DEAN: YOU'VE PROBABLY LEARNED THAT AS THE EARTH 42 00:02:14,667 --> 00:02:16,836 CIRCLES THE SUN, IT IS TILTED. 43 00:02:16,936 --> 00:02:20,874 WHEN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE OF THE EARTH IS TILTED TOWARD THE SUN, THATS WHEN WE HAVE 44 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:22,408 SUMMER. 45 00:02:22,509 --> 00:02:25,078 WE GET MORE ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND HAVE LONGER DAYS AND SHORTER NIGHTS. 46 00:02:25,178 --> 00:02:27,380 JAMES: WHEN WE'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN, AND 47 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,951 THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE IS TILTED AWAY FROM THE SUN, WE GET LESS ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND 48 00:02:32,051 --> 00:02:33,920 HAVE SHORTER DAYS AND LONGER NIGHTS. 49 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:36,356 DEAN: BUT IN BETWEEN SUMMER AND WINTER WE COME 50 00:02:36,456 --> 00:02:39,959 TO POINTS WHERE THE SUN FALLS DIRECTLY ON THE EQUATOR. 51 00:02:40,059 --> 00:02:43,530 AND THAT MEANS AS THE EARTH TURNS, EVERYWHERE ON OUR PLANET RECEIVES 52 00:02:43,630 --> 00:02:47,000 12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND 12 HOURS OF DARKNESS. 53 00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:49,769 EQUAL DAY, EQUAL NIGHT, EQUINOX. 54 00:02:49,869 --> 00:02:52,572 DEAN: IF YOU WATCH THE SUN RISE ON THE FIRST DAY 55 00:02:52,672 --> 00:02:55,542 OF SPRING YOU'LL SEE THAT IT RISES DUE EAST. 56 00:02:55,642 --> 00:03:00,446 BUT IF YOU WATCH THE SUN RISE EACH SUCCESSIVE DAY AFTER THAT YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IT'LL RISE 57 00:03:00,547 --> 00:03:06,519 A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF EAST EACH SUCCESSIVE DAY UNTIL IT REACHES IT'S FARTHEST POINT NORTH 58 00:03:06,619 --> 00:03:08,755 OF EAST ON THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER, 59 00:03:08,855 --> 00:03:11,624 JAMES: THEN THE SUN WILL SEEM TO BACK UP AND RISE 60 00:03:11,724 --> 00:03:17,230 A LITTLE BIT LESS NORTHEAST EACH SUCCESSIVE DAY UNTIL ONCE AGAIN ON THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN 61 00:03:17,330 --> 00:03:19,132 IT WILL RISE DUE EAST. 62 00:03:19,232 --> 00:03:24,037 THEN EACH SUCCESSIVE DAY IT WILL RISE A LITTLE BIT FARTHER SOUTH OF EAST UNTIL ON THE FIRST 63 00:03:24,137 --> 00:03:29,642 DAY OF WINTER WHEN IT WILL RISE AT ITS FARTHEST POINT SOUTHEAST, AFTER WHICH IT WILL SLOWLY 64 00:03:29,742 --> 00:03:31,978 START TO RETRACE ITS JOURNEY NORTH ONCE AGAIN. 65 00:03:32,078 --> 00:03:35,615 DEAN: AND THIS ENTIRE CYCLE REPEATS YEAR AFTER YEAR 66 00:03:35,715 --> 00:03:37,450 AFTER YEAR. 67 00:03:37,550 --> 00:03:41,321 IN FACT, ALMOST ALL ANCIENT CULTURES KEPT TRACK OF THIS RISING AND SETTING OF THE SUN 68 00:03:41,421 --> 00:03:43,723 AT DIFFERENT PLACES ON THE HORIZON. 69 00:03:43,823 --> 00:03:46,859 MAYBE THEY WOULD SET UP STONES TO MARK THE SUNRISE AND 70 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:47,860 SUNSET POINTS. 71 00:03:47,961 --> 00:03:48,962 JAMES: OR POSTS. 72 00:03:49,062 --> 00:03:49,963 OR MOUNDS. 73 00:03:50,063 --> 00:03:50,930 OR WINDOWS. 74 00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:51,931 OR EVEN BUILDINGS. 75 00:03:52,031 --> 00:03:52,932 SORRY, DEAN. 76 00:03:53,032 --> 00:03:53,933 NO EGGS. 77 00:03:54,033 --> 00:03:55,134 DEAN: AWW MAN! 78 00:03:55,235 --> 00:03:56,903 JAMES: WITH THESE MARKERS THEY COULD MEASURE THE 79 00:03:57,003 --> 00:03:59,806 LENGTH OF YEAR AND CREATE THE FIRST CALENDARS. 80 00:03:59,906 --> 00:04:03,676 DEAN: SO PUT THOSE SUN VISORS DOWN AS YOU DRIVE 81 00:04:03,776 --> 00:04:08,181 BACK AND FORTH TO WORK NEXT WEEK AND WHY NOT START YOUR OWN PERSONAL RECORD - 82 00:04:08,281 --> 00:04:13,152 KEEPING TRACK OF WHERE THE SUN RISES AND SETS ON YOUR HORIZON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 83 00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:15,321 JAMES: STARTING NEXT WEEK, YOULL DEFINITELY NOTICE 84 00:04:15,421 --> 00:04:18,825 THAT THE SUN WILL RISE AND SET FARTHER SOUTH EACH DAY - 85 00:04:18,925 --> 00:04:21,894 AND THAT MEANS WINTER IS ONLY A FEW MONTHS AWAY. 86 00:04:21,995 --> 00:04:25,832 AND DEAN, ONLY I CAN BALANCE AN EGG WHENEVER I WISH! 87 00:04:25,932 --> 00:04:27,800 DEAN: NO WAY! 88 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:31,900 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!