Autumnal Equinox 2009 Falls on September 22

This year’s Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 22, at 5:19 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Autumnal Equinox 2009 Falls on September 22
The autumnal equinox occurs in 2009 on September 22 at 5:19 pm Eastern Standard Time. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
9/22/2009
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Equinox.jpg" alt="The autumnal equinox occurs in 2009 on September 22 at 5:19 pm Eastern Standard Time. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)" title="The autumnal equinox occurs in 2009 on September 22 at 5:19 pm Eastern Standard Time. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1826124"/></a>
The autumnal equinox occurs in 2009 on September 22 at 5:19 pm Eastern Standard Time. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
NEW YORK—This year’s Autumnal Equinox–also sometimes called Vernal Equinox or Fall Equinox–occurs today, September 22, at 5:19 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).

The occurrence of the Autumnal Equinox is widely regarded in the scientific community and in many cultures as heralding the arrival of Fall. In many ancient cultures, such as the Persian and Egyptian cultures, the coming of the Autumnal equinox is a special day on the calendar.

In Asian culture, the Autumnal equinox is called the qiufen (“autumnal split”). Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival around the autumnal equinox day, on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar.

The other equinox is the Vernal equinox which heralds the arrival of the Spring season. The Vernal Equinox is a much bigger day in many cultures, especially in Japan, where the Shunbun no hi (Vernal Equinox Day) is a national holiday for family occasions, such as paying homage to deceased relatives and having family gatherings.

An equinox occurs twice a year when the Sun is at an exact point vertically above the Earth’s equator. This semi-annual even makes night and day on the Earth almost exactly the same length during the equinoxes.

Also, while the Sun is supposed to rise and set at precisely 6 am and 6 pm respectively, the real rising and setting times during equinoxes vary slightly due to the tilt of the Earth with respect to the Sun.