Autumn is fast approaching, and if you’re like me, you’re looking forward to crisp, cool days, chilly nights and the changing colors of the leaves. 

Labor Day weekend is typically labeled as the unofficial end to the summer season, while meteorologists consider September 1st as the start to the fall season. However, the official first day of fall is actually on September 22nd. 

This day is known as the autumnal equinox, and on this day, the sun passes the equator moving from the northern to the southern hemisphere. The North Pole begins to tilt away from the sun.

The equinox is an event that happens twice per year, once in fall and once in spring. This year, the autumnal equinox occurs at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22nd. 

The summer and winter solstices result in the longest and shortest day of the year, while the equinoxes result in day and night having the approximate same length. 

The sunrise time in Syracuse on September 22nd is at 6:52 a.m., and the sunset is at 7:00 p.m. We will continue to lose daylight with each passing day until we reach the winter solstice. 

By the winter solstice (December 21st), the official start to winter, the sunset time in Syracuse is 4:32 p.m. By that point, we are at about 9 hours of daylight (but let’s not think about that right now).

In the meantime, enjoy the fall season!