The Fall Equinox in 2024 happened on September 22. According to the astronomical definition of the seasons, the autumnal (or fall) equinox marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, which lasts until the winter solstice (around December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere). This is the astronomical definition of the changing of seasons as the tilt of the earth on its axis will lead to summer in the southern hemisphere as we head into winter up here in the northern hemisphere.

The GOES satellites can provide a unique view of the earth as we pass through the various seasons. The angle of the shadow at sunrise or sunset (satellite time, or at the satellite nadir point) shows how earth progresses through the seasons from summer solstice to fall equinox. Watch the reflection of the sun (aka “sunglint”, the shiny spot which starts west of Mexico over the eastern Pacific in the GOES-East animation) migrate toward the equator over the course of summer; it ends up predictably right over the equator on the fall equinox.

Webapps about the Seasons

These images were made using NOAA data with geo2grid software, from UW-Madison, SSEC. T. Whittaker is thanked for the webapps.

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