On Monday 22 September at 8 pm and 19 minutes of Central European summer time (CEST), the autumn equinox will occur. The whole northern hemisphere, including in Slovakia, will begin astronomical autumn. On the contrary, the southern hemisphere will enter the spring season on 22 September.
At the moment of the autumn equinox (aequinoctium), the Earth in the orbit around the Sun finds itself at a point when the plane of the Earth’s equator passes through the geometric center of the solar disk. The sun’s rays thus fall perpendicular to the Earth’s surface and illuminate the planet of the northern and southern hemisphere.
On the day of the autumn equinox, the sun rises exactly in the east and fits in the west. The observer standing on the equator on the day of the autumn equinox sees at noon the sun above himself in the supervisor.
Day and night are equally long on the day and spring equinox on the whole planet – about 12 hours. In Bratislava, for example, on Monday 22 September the sun will be released at 6.38 pm. Selč, fits at 18.49. Selč. In Košice sunrise will occur at 6.21 CEST and West at 18.32 CEST. Thus, the day lasts 12 hours and 11 minutes in both cases.
The different length of day and night during the year, as well as the alternation of the seasons, causes the Earth’s axis to the Earth’s orbit by approximately 23.5 degrees. During the astronomical summer, the northern hemisphere was brought to the sun. From the autumn equinox to the spring equinox, the sun’s rays more illuminate the southern hemisphere. Throughout this period there are shorter days in the northern hemisphere than the night.
During the autumn equinox, the days are shortened in the European latitudes, and about 3 and a half minutes every day. For example, on September 23, the length of sunshine in Bratislava will be only 12 hours and 7 and a half minutes, a day later 12 hours and 4 minutes. The shortening of the day will continue until the winter solstice.
The more north, the more pronounced the days. In the areas that lie behind the Northern Polar Circle, the Polar Night arrives at a certain period of time does not go above the horizon at all. For example, in the Norwegian city of Tromsø, the sun will not see from 27 November to 15 January.
The next 2026 will be astronomical autumn on 23 September at 2.05 CEST. Dates of the beginning of the seasons fluctuate, because the civil year (365 days) is not in accordance with the real length of the Earth’s circulation around the Sun, ie the so -called. tropical years. It takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Due to this non -compliance, every fourth year is leaping, ie longer one day.
Astronomical autumn will last until Sunday, December 21, when at 16.03. Central European time (CET) will occur winter solstice, ie astronomical winter will begin. The meteorological autumn began on 1 September and lasts until 30 November.
