AUTUMNAL EQUINOX - ITS FALL

DEAN:
HEY THERE STAR GAZERS, I'M DEAN REGAS ASTRONOMY

FOR
THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.

JAMES:
AND I'M JAMES ALBURY THE DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA

SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA.

WERE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY.

OK DEAN, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?

DEAN:
I HEARD A RUMOR THAT YOU CAN BALANCE AN EGG,

ON-END, ON THE SPRING OR FALL EQUINOXES SO
I WANTED TO TRY IT OUT.

JAMES:
ANY LUCK?

DEAN:
NOT YET.

JAMES:
(I HATE TO TELL DEAN BUT, THATS JUST AN URBAN

LEGEND.

BUT WHAT DOES HAPPEN DURING THE EQUINOX IS
TRULY AMAZING.

THE SUN RISES DUE EAST AND SETS DUE WEST).

DEAN:
AND THERE ARE 12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND 12

HOURS OF DARKNESS OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD.

JAMES:
AND THE AUTUMNAL EQUNIOX IS COMING UP ON SEPTEMBER

23RD.

SO WHATS REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN?

DEAN: LETS SHOW YOU!

JAMES:
AUTUMN OFFICIALLY BEGINS AT THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX,

SEPTEMBER 23RD,
SO GET READY FOR SOME

IN-YOUR-FACE SUNRISES AND IN-YOUR-FACE SUNSETS.

DEAN:
ON THE EQUINOXES THE SUN RISES DUE EAST

AND SETS DUE-WEST.

THAT MEANS IF YOU DRIVE TO WORK ON
A DUE-EAST ROAD AT SUNRISE THE SUN WILL RISE

DIRECTLY OVER
THE YELLOW LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

AND IF YOU DRIVE HOME AT SUNSET ON A
DUE-WEST HIGHWAY,

THE SUN WILL SET RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

THAT COULD MAKE FOR
A BLINDING COMMUTE!

JAMES:
YOU ACTUALLY MIGHT NOTICE THIS DAZZLING SUNRISE

AND SUNET FOR A WEEK ON EITHER SIDE OF THE
EQUINOXES,

AND DRIVING CAN BE TREACHEROUS.

SO GET OUT YOUR SUNGLASSES AND
PUT THOSE SUN VISORS DOWN.

JAMES:
BUT WHAT ARE THE EQUINOXES ANYWAY?

WELL, THE WORD 'EQUINOX' COMES FROM THE LATIN,
'EQUI' WHICH MEANS EQUAL, AND 'NOX' WHICH

MEANS NIGHT.

SO ON BOTH THE SPRING AND FALL EQUINOXES,
THE HOURS OF NIGHT ARE EQUAL TO THE HOURS

OF DAYLIGHT.

DEAN:
YOU'VE PROBABLY LEARNED THAT AS THE EARTH

CIRCLES THE SUN, IT IS TILTED.

WHEN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE OF THE EARTH
IS TILTED TOWARD THE SUN, THATS WHEN WE HAVE

SUMMER.

WE GET MORE ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND HAVE LONGER
DAYS AND SHORTER NIGHTS.

JAMES:
WHEN WE'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN, AND

THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE IS TILTED AWAY FROM
THE SUN, WE GET LESS ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND

HAVE SHORTER DAYS AND LONGER NIGHTS.

DEAN:
BUT IN BETWEEN SUMMER AND WINTER WE COME

TO POINTS WHERE THE SUN FALLS DIRECTLY ON
THE EQUATOR.

AND THAT MEANS AS THE EARTH TURNS, EVERYWHERE
ON OUR PLANET RECEIVES

12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND 12 HOURS OF DARKNESS.

EQUAL DAY, EQUAL NIGHT, EQUINOX.

DEAN:
IF YOU WATCH THE SUN RISE ON THE FIRST DAY

OF SPRING YOU'LL SEE THAT IT RISES DUE EAST.

BUT IF YOU WATCH THE SUN RISE EACH SUCCESSIVE
DAY AFTER THAT YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IT'LL RISE

A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF EAST EACH SUCCESSIVE
DAY UNTIL IT REACHES IT'S FARTHEST POINT NORTH

OF EAST ON THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER,

JAMES:
THEN THE SUN WILL SEEM TO BACK UP AND RISE

A LITTLE BIT LESS NORTHEAST EACH SUCCESSIVE
DAY UNTIL ONCE AGAIN ON THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN

IT WILL RISE DUE EAST.

THEN EACH SUCCESSIVE DAY IT WILL RISE A LITTLE
BIT FARTHER SOUTH OF EAST UNTIL ON THE FIRST

DAY OF WINTER WHEN IT WILL RISE AT ITS FARTHEST
POINT SOUTHEAST, AFTER WHICH IT WILL SLOWLY

START TO RETRACE ITS JOURNEY NORTH
ONCE AGAIN.

DEAN:
AND THIS ENTIRE CYCLE REPEATS YEAR AFTER YEAR

AFTER YEAR.

IN FACT, ALMOST ALL ANCIENT CULTURES KEPT
TRACK OF THIS RISING AND SETTING OF THE SUN

AT DIFFERENT PLACES ON THE HORIZON.

MAYBE THEY WOULD SET UP STONES TO MARK THE
SUNRISE AND

SUNSET POINTS.

JAMES:
OR POSTS.

OR MOUNDS.

OR WINDOWS.

OR EVEN BUILDINGS.

SORRY, DEAN.

NO EGGS.

DEAN:
AWW MAN!

JAMES:
WITH THESE MARKERS THEY COULD MEASURE THE

LENGTH OF YEAR AND CREATE THE FIRST CALENDARS.

DEAN:
SO PUT THOSE SUN VISORS DOWN AS YOU DRIVE

BACK AND FORTH TO WORK NEXT WEEK AND WHY NOT
START YOUR OWN PERSONAL RECORD -

KEEPING TRACK OF WHERE THE SUN RISES AND SETS
ON YOUR HORIZON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

JAMES:
STARTING NEXT WEEK, YOULL DEFINITELY NOTICE

THAT THE SUN WILL RISE AND SET FARTHER SOUTH
EACH DAY -

AND THAT MEANS WINTER IS ONLY A FEW
MONTHS AWAY.

AND DEAN, ONLY I CAN BALANCE AN EGG WHENEVER
I WISH!

DEAN:
NO WAY!

BOTH:
KEEP LOOKING UP!