Summer is now over - it's official
Today saw the Autumn Equinox, a landmark date of the year - and a day after which we can truly say the summer has ended, despite the current decent spell of weather.
Below we take a closer look at the event and what it means for us.
What is the Autumn Equinox?
The Autumn Equinox occurs every year in September, marking the point at which the sun passes the celestial equator in a southwards direction.
This marks the day when the amount of light in the day is roughly equal to the amount of darkness. At this point the sun will be directly above the Earth's equator. From this point onwards, the nights will start to outstrip the days in terms of length. They will continue to outstrip the days up until the spring equinox (March 20), when the sun passes the celestial equator in a northwards direction.
This year, the Autumn Equinox took place on September 23 at 02:29. In previous years the equinox has occurred anywhere between September 21 and 24.
The history of the Autumn Equinox
As well as marking the beginning of Autumn today, the Autumn Equinox has also had a significance throughout history.
The Autumn Equinox was originally the first day of the French Republican Calendar. Created during the French Revolution, this calendar was used by the French Government from 1793 to 1805, and then again for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871.
The Autumn Equinox was set as the first day of this revolutionary calendar, as they looked to eliminate religious and royalist influences from the calendar. By using the Autumn Equinox to mark the start of the year, the calendar could be based around astronomical reasons instead.
This date also had great significance in Ancient Rome. Roman's celebrated the Autumn Equinox to praise the goddess Pomona. Pomona was the goddess of fruitful abundance and growth.
Ways to mark the Autumn Equinox
Here in Britain, the Autumn Equinox is chiefly marked by the celebration of the harvest festival. Whilst not officially honouring the Autumn Equinox itself, it does decide when the festival is celebrated. Every year the harvest festival is celebrated on the Sunday of the full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox. In other countries, though, the Autumn Equinox is marked as a celebration in its own right.
In countries such as Iran, Japan and Korea, bank holidays and public festivals take place to mark the occasion.
