Categories: Earth Observation

Happy Equinox!

We’re now in Autumn (in the Northern Hemisphere), the time when the length of day and night are roughly the same. And from here on out, the nights will be getting longer and the days shorter. It’s often difficult to explain to people how the Earth’s tilt defines how much sunlight we get every day, and how it causes the changing seasons. Here’s the easy thing to do. Show this amazing video to anyone, and they’ll totally get it. It’s a full year’s snapshots of Earth taken by NASA’s Meteosat satellite.

The Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, has a great explainer on the Equinox, and details what you’re seeing in this video. Check it out.

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay. Here's a link to my Mastodon account.

Recent Posts

Here’s How to Weigh Gigantic Filaments of Dark Matter

How do you weigh one of the largest objects in the entire universe? Very carefully,…

2 hours ago

How Could Astronauts Call for Help from the Moon?

Exploring the Moon poses significant risks, with its extreme environment and hazardous terrain presenting numerous…

14 hours ago

There Was a 15 Minute Warning Before Tonga Volcano Exploded

Volcanoes are not restricted to the land, there are many undersea versions. One such undersea…

15 hours ago

Main Sequence and White Dwarf Binaries are Hiding in Plain Sight

Some binary stars are unusual. They contain a main sequence star like our Sun, while…

16 hours ago

What a Misplaced Meteorite Told Us About Mars

11 million years ago, Mars was a frigid, dry, dead world, just like it is…

18 hours ago

Uranus is Getting Colder and Now We Know Why

Uranus is an oddball among the Solar System's planets. While most planets' axis of rotation…

21 hours ago