Friday, September 23 marks the autumnal equinox of 2022, the beginning of this season from an astronomical point of view, when the day gradually decreases and the night becomes longer and longer, until the winter solstice, marked on December 22 .
Every year, at the beginning of the last decade of September, is the time of the autumnal equinox, when the astronomical longitude of the Sun reaches the value of 180°, according to the “Amiral Vasile Urseanu” Astronomical Observatory.
The autumnal equinox 2022 is marked on September 23 at 4:04 am Romanian time. Starting from this date, the days will be shorter and the nights longer.
Autumnal equinox point, also called “autumnal point”
The autumnal equinox point, also called the “autumnal point”, is located on the celestial sphere at the intersection of the ecliptic (which represents the projection on the celestial sphere of the plane of the Earth’s orbit) with the celestial equator, which the Sun crosses on this date, passing from the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere in the southern one.
Being therefore on this date near the celestial equator, the Sun will rise and set right at the cardinal points east and west, the duration of the days being thus equal, regardless of the latitude, to that of the nights.
The only exceptions are found in the polar regions: in the area of the North Pole the long polar night begins, and in that of the South Pole the Sun rises above the horizon for six months, until the time of the spring equinox.
In the southern hemisphere of the Earth, September 23 marks the beginning of spring.