Why do solstice and equinox happen

Most days or nights are extended by only a few minutes. Ideally, an Equinox should eliminate this, but this is not exactly true. Equinoxes have been found to expose the Earth to approximately six or more minutes of daylight.

This happens because of the Sun. The Sun is round and therefore unlike a straight beam of light from a flashlight, it cannot fully fade instantaneously. On average, you may notice most days or nights are extended by minutes. The extra light that exists is dependent directly on the season in which the Earth is experiencing.

For the colder seasons, it is evident that night is longer while for the warmer seasons this is the opposite. Equinoxes are naturally occurring phenomena of the Earth. These are only scheduled to happen twice a year. They occur because, at these times of the year, the equator is exposed to the constant rays of the sun as it crosses paths and sits above it.

The Sun is only placed in this position when the orbit the earth follows, and the axial tilt synchronize or blend together. When this occurs, a line that divides the light and dark sections of the earth runs through the poles.

This line is termed the terminator, but you may know it as the twilight zone. You might wonder what prevents this from happening on most other days of the year. On a regular day within the year, the Earth is tilted at This allows the Earth to orbit with respect to the sun. This means that in the colder seasons of the Northern Hemisphere, there is less light leading to more night. The opposite can then be said for the Southern Hemisphere, which is experiencing warmer seasons exposing it to more daylight.

Equinoxes are evident two times of the year. The equinox, as discussed, only appears on occasions where the conditions are met between the Sun and the Earth. Since this is only occurring two times out of the year, then the date and conditions must be established.

Also, note that the hemispheres receive the equinoxes on different dates according to their time zones. However, they still take place simultaneously. Firstly, there is the autumnal, also termed the fall equinox.

For the Northern Hemisphere, this occurs in September when the sun crosses the equator while moving south. This equinox is scheduled to occur in the fall, generally on or around September 22nd.

The opposite can be said for the Southern Hemisphere as it experiences its equinox under a different title. It is called the march vernal equinox or spring equinox.

This equinox occurs in the Southern Hemisphere on March 20th. However, it can take place anywhere between the dates of the 19th and 21st. A solstice is one of the two times of the year when the positioning and tilt of Earth relative to the sun results in the most amount of daylight time or the least amount of daylight time in a single day.

The solstices are traditionally considered to mark the start of summer and winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs in June and the winter solstice occurs in December. The summer solstice results in the longest day of the year sometimes called midsummer , meaning it has the most time of daylight, and the winter solstice results in the shortest day of the year, meaning it has the longest period of darkness.

What does summer mean and where does it come from? When the equinox occurs, as the equi- prefix might suggest, day and night are of equal length, and it marks the onset of spring vernal equinox and autumn autumnal equinox. Remember, sol means sun, and solstices are the days with the most or the least amount of daylight. Whether you need one-on-one or group study sessions, Dictionary Academy tutoring is custom-fit to meet your learning needs. Feedback Tired of Typos?

Word of the Day. Meanings Meanings. Previous "Terror" vs. Solstice Learn With A Tutor. During the first week in January, the Earth is about 1. This is referred to as the perihelion. The aphelion, or the point at which the Earth is about 1. This fact may sound counter to what we know about seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, but actually the difference is not significant in terms of climate and is NOT the reason why we have seasons.

Seasons are caused by the fact that the Earth is tilted on its axis by The tilt's orientation with respect to space does not change during the year; thus, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun in June and away from the sun in December, as illustrated in the graphic below.

There is a lag between the longest day of the year and the warmest average temperatures for most mid and high latitude locations. Just as the warmest part of the day usually occurs several hours after noon, when the sun is highest in the sky, so too does the warmest part of the summer lags the summer solstice. This lag is due to the time required for ground and water to heat up.

Average temperatures continue to climb until the sun drops lower in the sky. While the effect is evident in a daily temperature plot, it is more readily apparent by looking at changes in the monthly average temperature.

In Cleveland, July averages 3. Please Contact Us. Please try another search. Multiple locations were found. Please select one of the following:. Location Help. News Headlines. Customize Your Weather.