Equinox

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How the Sun lights the Earth on the day of equinox
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How the Sun lights the Earth on the day of equinox

Equinox is the time of year when the day and the night are the same or equal in length. The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning "equal" and "night".

Around the day of the equinox, the time of daylight is twelve hours - the same as that of the night. The exact day and time when this happens will be different depending on how far away from the equator it is being measured.

The equinoxes are the beginning of spring, and autumn (or fall in the US). They occur around March 21 and September 23.

The time of daylight is quite easy to measure. This was done in many cultures where festivals were celebrated at the equinoxes.

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