The European Space Agency (ESA) released a satellite image showing Earth divided into day and night, with one hemisphere experiencing daylight and the other in darkness. The image reflects the occurrence of the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, where the Sun crosses the celestial equator.
The ESA shared the picture on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and noted that the transition from summer to autumn in the Northern Hemisphere corresponds to this celestial event. The image captures the moment when the Sun crossed the celestial equator at 07:50 BST/08:50 CEST. This photo was taken by the #Meteosat satellite at 09:00 BST/10:00 CEST.
The autumn equinox signifies the astronomical start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the commencement of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. During this event, the Sun moves southward, providing balanced sunlight to both hemispheres. This alignment of Earth’s axis and orbit results in nearly equal day and night lengths during the equinox.
The term “equinox” is derived from Latin, with “equi” meaning equal and “nox” meaning night, reflecting the nearly equal duration of day and night during this celestial occurrence. The precise duration of this balance may vary slightly depending on one’s location on Earth.
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