Autumnal Equinox Ushers in Fall and Bids Farewell to Summer

Good-bye summer and hello fall.

The autumnal equinox took place at 2:04 a.m. Friday morning when the sun crossed the equator heading for the Southern Hemisphere. There are approximately equal amounts of day and night today because the Earth's axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun.

In other parts of the country, fall means leaves turning from green to red and gold. In our parts, it normally means sunny and mild days with that tinge of crispness in the air. It mostly means there are more footballs games on television, students are going back to school, stores are starting to fill up with Halloween candy and we start pulling those sweaters and jackets out once again.

Until the winter solstice on Dec. 22, the days will be getting shorter and the nights will be getting longer. In case you're wondering, Daylight Savings Time will end Nov. 6, when we turn our clocks back an hour and sunset comes early.

What does fall mean for you?