Autumnal Equinox

Today, the autumnal equinox took place. 

The September equinox is a seasonal milestone in Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun. At an equinox, the sun appears directly above Earth’s equator. At the September equinox, the sun is moving from north to south as it crosses above the equator. It’s bringing summer to the Southern Hemisphere and winter to the Northern Hemisphere.

The 2024 September equinox took place at 12:44 UTC (which is one hour behind BST, so took place at 13:44 in the UK) today. On this day, days and nights are approximately (but not exactly)equal in length for everyone across the globe. The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), that is, equal night.

Today in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that as of January 1, 1863, all enslaved people in the states currently engaged in rebellion against the Union “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

Finally, it’s also the anniversary of the commencement of ITV in 1955.

I hope you have had an enjoyable day.