BLOG: What happens at the exact moment of the Autumn Equinox?

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Friday at 4:02 p.m. marked the beginning of Astronomical Fall. We've been telling you for days the date and time Fall would arrive, but what is actually happening at that moment?

The Autumn Equinox is the exact moment that the sun is shining directly over the Equator. Of course, we all know that during our Summer, the sun shines more directly over the Northern Hemisphere. During our Winter, it shines over the Southern Hemisphere.

So Spring and Fall are just the transitional periods in between, and the moment of transition where the sun is directly over the Equator marks the Equinox and change in season.

Equinox also means "equal nights" in Latin. During the Equinox, the approximate length of day and light is near equal, as opposed to during the summer where we have longer days and winter with longer nights.

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