Fun Facts about the Autumnal Equinox

The fall and spring equinoxes, the seasons, and the changing length of daylight hours throughout the year are all due to one fact: Earth spins on a tilted axis.
The tilt — possibly caused by a massive object hitting Earth billions of years ago — means that for half the year, the North Pole is pointed toward the sun (as in the picture below). For the other half of the year, the South Pole gets more light. It’s why we have seasons.
During the equinox, the sun is exactly at the middle of the earth’s tilt – right above the equator. It’s the day when the earth officially moves from a warmer Northern Hemisphere to a warmer Southern Hemisphere.

Equinox literally means “equal night.” And during the equinox, most places on Earth will see approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.
But not every place will experience the exact same amount of daylight. The differences are due to how the sunlight gets refracted (bent) as it enters Earth’s atmosphere at different latitudes. In Denver, we will see 12 hours and 8 minutes of daylight.

Maybe you’ve heard that, on the equinox, it’s easier to balance an egg vertically on a flat surface than on other days of the year. According to the South China Morning Post, “The theory goes that at this time of year, the moon and earth are in exactly the right alignment, the celestial bodies generating the perfect balance of forces needed to make it possible.”
This is a myth. The answer is, yes, you can balance an egg on its end on the equinox, or on any day of the year – if you’re good at balancing things.

Yes! All the planets in our solar system rotate on a tilted axis and therefore have seasons. Some of these tilts are minor (like Mercury, which is tilted at 2.11 degrees). But others are more like the Earth (23.5 degrees) or are even more extreme (Uranus is tilted 98 degrees!).

Because the earth actually takes 365.25 days to get around the sun, we have to add a year every four years. When we add a year, the equinox gets pushed BACK to September 22, and gradually makes its way forward to September 23 again – until the next leap year.

The equilux (“equal light”, meaning the day that we get 12 hours of light exactly) will be on September 25 in Denver.

You should visit EscapeWorks with your friends! What better day to enjoy a challenge in our Egyptian Tomb room than the first day of fall? And – use code SEPTSAVE and get 20% off (good through Friday at 3PM).