Fall Arrives Tonight

Today is the official first day of fall. That is, tonight at 8:54 is the exact moment of the autumnal equinox, when the sun crosses the equator into the Southern Hemisphere, where they welcome the first day of spring.

It occurs because the earth spins on a tilted axis. Without the tilt, we wouldn't have different seasons.

The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning "equal night."  Most places on Earth will see the same amount of daylight and night today, 12 hours of each.

In the Northern Hemisphere, our daylight hours will get shorter every day until the Winter Solstice, which happens on Friday, December 21st.  The days will suddenly seem really short once Daylight Saving Time ends on November 4th. 

By the way, you can call it fall or autumn.  Both are correct, but the word autumn has been around longer.