September 22, 2022
Today is the fall, or autumnal, equinox: one of the two days in the year when day’s length is equal to night’s length (“equinox” = “equal” “night”, Latin). For most of the world, all the other days of the year have either long days (ie “summer”) or long nights (ie winter). There are technical descriptions but essentially these seasonal variations are caused by the tilt of Earth on its axis of rotation as our planet revolves around the sun. The sun’s steady radiation strikes us differently depending on where we are.
There are lots of graphics to represent and describe the seasons. Here are a few I like.
That difference in angle can be extreme even at moderate latitudes. Budapest is at 48°N latitude, the same as where I live in northwest Washington state. See a track of the sun’s path over the year:
Another effect of the varying sun’s “path” means that at the equinoxes, the sun rises due east and sets due west, while in summer the sun rises and sets to the south of east and west, and in winter, to the north. Two diagrams, looking at your house and from your house:
Here’s a very cool diagram showing how many hours of day and night there are at different times of year (x axis) and different latitudes (y axis). Note what daylength is like in the tropics. Of course there’s more to seasons than daylength. I lived on the equator for some years and always knew what time of year it was, by the precipitation and wind patterns.
In nature, animals and vegetation don’t have calendars and graphics to measure the year, and yet they know exactly what the season is and what to do. The Daily Bucket is a place for us to observe and admire those adaptations and behaviors.
Fall is the time when here in the Pacific Northwest …..
Any equinoctial nature reports from your part of the world?
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THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS RECENT DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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Cool in the PNW islands today. Partly cloudy, moderate west wind. Temps in 50s. Fall is here.
WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR AREA TODAY?