Autumnal Equinox 2016 – what is it and what does it signify?

BEAUTIFUL pictures emerged last week showing the harvest moon lunar eclipse.

Millions craned their necks upward to watch the rare celestial event, which makes the moon look bigger and darker.

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We explained how the harvest moon – which happened last Friday – is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox.

But what is the autumn equinox?

Here we tell you everything you need to know…

Autumn equinox

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The autumn equinox is when the sun crosses the equator from the northern to the southern half of the sky.

This is the official beginning of autumn for the planet’s northern hemisphere, bringing shorter days and longer nights.

Colder temperatures also come with the lack of light, as it is not only darker but the sun is further away, with the earth’s southern half tilting towards its warmth.

This is also the beginning of spring for people in the earth’s lower half – with their autumn equinox happening on the first day of our spring, on 20 March next year.

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Contrary to popular belief, the equinox is not a day-long event.

Some cultures celebrate it that way, but scientifically it is a precise moment in time.

Due to occur at 3.21pm today, it is the exact time the sun crosses an invisible line in the sky above the equator.

The equinox has been celebrated around the world for thousands of years, and still is today.

In ancient times, pagans would celebrate the festival of Mabon – paying respect to the impending darkness and giving thanks for the summer sunlight.

The arrival of Christianity in the UK saw many of the old festivals based on the moon and stars replaced with Christianized feast days.

The Feast of Michael and All Angels, or Michaelmas, falls just a few days after the pagan equinox celebrations, on September 29.

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