TOLEDO, Ohio — Between the dog days of summer and back to school, some are wondering how summer went by so quickly. Are you already reaching for the first pumpkin spice lattes of the season? Whether you wait for cooler weather, or the official autumnal equinox to get ready for fall festivities, here's when the first day of fall is.
Astronomical fall: The autumnal equinox
Astronomical fall begins Sunday, Sept. 22 at 8:44 a.m.
The autumnal equinox occurs when the Earth enters the part of its orbit around the sun that makes it appear as if the sun, as seen from the equator, rises exactly in the due east and sets in the due west. Due to the Earth's tilt on its axis, daylight hours will continue to shrink in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, daylight will continue to increase as the regions approach summertime.
The equinox is also when a region sees the same amount of daylight and darkness. This occurs twice a year: the fall equinox and the vernal (spring) equinox.
The Earth's tilt never actually changes; it is always facing in the same direction, even though the Earth itself rotates. During the summer in the northern hemisphere, the tilt means that region of the world is leaning closer to the sun; in winter, the opposite is true. The northern hemisphere is leaning away from the sun, while the southern is leaning closer.
It's a common misconception that winter occurs when the Earth is further away from the sun in its orbit; actually, the orbit, which is not a perfect circle, approaches closer to the sun during winter, and further away during the summer. The amount of time between sunrise and sunset - and the cause of our seasons - are due to the Earth's tilt.
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The first day of summer has the most amount of daylight. The first day of winter has the least amount of daylight. After the first day of winter, the amount of daylight will continue to increase and the opposite will occur after the first day of summer.
Meteorological fall: Getting ahead of the game
For those who want to celebrate fall even earlier, meteorological fall begins on Sept. 1. The reasoning behind two different season start dates is to help make it easier for meteorologists to keep track of records and weather data. Since astronomical solstices and equinoxes occur on slightly different days each year, record-keeping is much more effective when standardized.
The first day of winter begins on Dec. 21. Spring 2025 begins March 20. The first day of summer is June 20, 2025.
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