Fall equinox: Pagasa says longer nights are here

MANILA, Philippines—Nights would be longer after the autumnal equinox, which marks nearly equal lengths for light and dark, on Tuesday (Sept. 22).

An equinox happens only twice a year—autumnal and spring—when the Earth tilts on its axis while rotating around the sun.

The autumnal equinox occurred at 9:31 p.m on Tuesday.

According to the weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the fall equinox has no effect on the weather, but signals the start of longer nights “as the sun moves below the celestial equator toward the southern hemisphere.”

The sun will rise further in the southern part of the eastern horizon after the fall equinox.

Nights will gradually get longer until the winter solstice on Dec. 21, which is the longest night of the year.

After the winter solstice, nights will then become progressively shorter until the spring or vernal equinox, when daylight and nighttime hours are almost equal again.

TSB