• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The River Houses

A National Network of Local Homeschool Societies

  • Subscribe!
  • Home
  • Topics β–Ύ
    • Arts & Music
    • Astronomy
    • Books & Libraries
    • Dewey Decimals
    • Friday Bird Families
    • Great Stars
    • Holidays & History
    • Language & Literature
    • Lunar Society Bulletins
    • Natural History
    • Photo Contests
    • Poems-of-the-Week
    • Quick Freshes
    • Research & News
    • States & Countries
    • Terms & Calendars
    • Weekly World Heritage
  • Calendars
  • Six Books
  • TWOC β–Ύ
    • The Lunar Society of the River Houses
  • About Us β–Ύ
    • Our Mascots
  • Friends
  • Shop!
You are here: Home > Homeschool Astronomy > This Post

πŸ—“ πŸ‚ FALL IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)

22 September 2022 by Bob O'Hara

Today (September 22nd) is the September equinoxΒ β€” we call it the autumnal or fall equinox in the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere it’s the vernal or spring equinox. The autumnal equinox is (in astronomical terms) the first day of fall, just as the vernal equinox is (in astronomical terms) the first day of spring.

❑ Little lessons: “β€˜Vernal’ and ‘autumnal’ are wonderful words. Let’s look them both up in our big dictionary.”

Whenever you’re investigating things temporal or calendrical, timeanddate.com is always a good place to start:

  • ➒ September Equinox: Equal Day & Night, Nearly (timeanddate.com)

The seasons occur because the earth’s axis of daily rotation is not quite perpendicular to the plane of the earth’s annual orbit around the sun (it’s tilted by about 23ΒΊ). The two solstices occur at the points in the orbit when the axis of rotation is tilted most directly away from the sun (in December, on the first day of northern-hemisphere winter) and most directly toward the sun (in June, on the first day of northern-hemisphere summer). The two equinoxes, in September and March, occur when the earth’s axis of rotation is “sideways” to the sun (so to speak), making the intervals of daylight and darkness equal (or very nearly so). The word equi-nox means “equal night” (and day).

As the earth makes its annual circuit around the sun (counterclockwise in this diagram), the earth’s axis of daily rotation maintains a 23ΒΊ tilt with respect to the plane of the earth’s orbit. The two solstices occur when the axis of rotation is pointing most directly away from the sun (in December) and most directly toward the sun (in June). The two equinoxes (in September and March) occur when the earth’s axis of rotation is “sideways” to the sun (so to speak). (Image: timeanddate.com.)

NASA has a fun educational crossword puzzle for kids that’s filled with seasonal vocabularyΒ β€” solstices, equinoxes, and more.

Solstices, equinoxes, orbits, and more! A seasonal crossword puzzle for kids. (Image: NASA.)

You can print out your own copy at NASA’s “For Educators” website. And you can find many more technical facts and figures about solstices and equinoxes on page 345 in your recommended homeschool almanac.

What calendrical events and astronomical alignments will you be marking in your homeschool this Cygnus Term? 😊

❑ Watchers of the skies: Teaching your students about the seasons and the stars is one of the simplest and most enduring gifts you can give them. Your recommended River Houses astronomy guide has descriptions and maps of all the constellations that point out the seasonal highlights, and the astronomical section of your recommended world atlas has beautiful large charts of both celestial hemispheres. Why not find a dark-sky spot near you this month and spend some quality homeschool time beneath the starry vault.Β πŸ”­

❑ Here, said the year: This is one of our regular posts on Homeschool Astronomy and on Homeschool Terms & Calendars. Add your name to our weekly mailing list and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the homeschool year.Β πŸ‚Β β›„οΈΒ πŸŒ·Β β›±

❑ Become a Friend! If you enjoy the educational materials we distribute each week, please support our work and the noble cause of homeschooling by becoming a Friend of the River Houses! Your support keeps us going and growing! 😊

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related Posts:

  • 🐦 BIRD-FEEDING SEASON is Here! (And so is Project FeederWatch!)🐦 BIRD-FEEDING SEASON is Here! (And so is Project FeederWatch!)
  • πŸ—“ β›± SUMMER IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)πŸ—“ β›± SUMMER IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)
  • 🎡 πŸŽ„ HOLIDAY MUSIC MONTH 2022–2023 is Here! Good Morrow, Masters All!🎡 πŸŽ„ HOLIDAY MUSIC MONTH 2022–2023 is Here! Good Morrow, Masters All!
  • πŸ¦… NATURE NOTES: The Beginning of Fall MigrationπŸ¦… NATURE NOTES: The Beginning of Fall Migration

Filed Under: Homeschool Astronomy, Homeschool Terms & Calendars

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

It’s free! Your name and email address are never shared with any third parties.

CHECK YOUR INBOX (or spam folder) to confirm your subscription. Thank you! 😊

Search the River Houses

Recent Posts

  • HOMESCHOOL HOLIDAYS 🍝 Celebrating the Spaghetti Harvest in Switzerland
  • πŸ–‹ β˜”οΈ WONDERFUL WORDS: β€œWhan that Aprill…”
  • πŸ”­ WATCHERS OF THE SKIES: Homeschool Astronomy for April
  • πŸ—“ β˜”οΈ 🌸 HAPPY HOMESCHOOL APRIL from the River Houses!
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Larks and Swallows
  • 🌍 πŸ‡²πŸ‡¦ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Archaeological Site of Volubilis in Morocco
  • HOMESCHOOL HOLIDAYS 🌸 Visit the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, D.C.
  • πŸ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 26 March 2023
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ SUNDAY STATES: Wisconsin, Mongolia, Mozambique, and More
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Crows and Jays (Part II)
  • πŸ–‹ 🌱 WONDERFUL WORDS: Nothing Gold Can Stay
  • 🌍 πŸ‡²πŸ‡© WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Struve Geodetic Arc in Moldova
  • 🎡 HOMESCHOOL MUSIC: Happy Birthday Bach!
  • πŸ”Ž HOMESCHOOL RESEARCH & NEWS – March 2023
  • πŸ—“ 🌷 SPRING IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)

Post Topics

  • 🎡 Homeschool Arts & Music
  • πŸ”­ Homeschool Astronomy
  • πŸ“š Homeschool Books & Libraries
  • πŸ’° Homeschool Collections & Collecting
  • πŸ“… Homeschool Holidays & History
  • πŸ“– Homeschool Language & Literature
  • πŸŒ• Lunar Society Bulletins
  • πŸ—Ί Homeschool Maps & Geography
  • πŸ› Homeschool Museums & Monuments
  • 🏞 Homeschool Natural History
  • πŸ—“ Quick Freshes for Homeschool Families
  • πŸ”Ž Homeschool Research & News
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Homeschool States & Countries
  • πŸ—“ Homeschool Terms & Calendars

Astronomy

  • American Meteor Society
    • – Fireball Reporting System
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day
  • Evening Sky Maps
  • Homeschool Astronomy (Sky & Telescope)
  • Hubble Space Telescope
    • – Learning Resources
  • NASA
    • – Asteroid Watch
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Our Solar System
    • – Spot the Station
    • – Webb Space Telescope
  • The Planets Today
    • – Light-Distance to the Planets
  • The Sky This Week (USNO)
  • Space Weather
  • Stellarium Night Sky Charts
  • Time and Date
    • – Eclipses
    • – Meteor Showers
    • – Moon Phases
    • – Seasons
  • Tonight’s Sky (hubblesite.com)
  • Virtual Planisphere

Books & Libraries

  • Baldwin Library of Children’s Literature
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Classic Children’s Books (read.gov)
  • Folger Shakespeare Library
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Shakespeare’s Plays Online
  • HathiTrust Digital Library
  • In Our Time (BBC Podcasts)
  • New York Public Library Digital Collections
  • Project Gutenberg
  • US Library of Congress
    • – Children’s Book Selections
    • – Educator Resources
    • – LC Blogs
    • – LC Digital Collections
    • – Minerva’s Kaleidoscope
  • US National Archives
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Founders Online
    • – K–5 Resources
    • – Teaching With Documents
  • Vatican Library Digital Collections
  • WorldCat Library Catalog
    • – WorldCat Library Finder
  • World Digital Library

Museums, Parks, & Monuments

  • Art Collections Online
  • British Museum Collections Online
  • Google Arts & Culture Collections
  • Smithsonian Institution
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Smithsonian Museums
    • – Smithsonian Open Access
  • Timeline of Art History
  • US National Park Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – National Memorials
    • – National Monuments
    • – National Parks
    • – Wild & Scenic Rivers Program
  • US National Wildlife Refuges
  • US State Parks
  • Watercolour World

Natural History

  • All About Birds (Cornell University)
    • – Bird Identification Guide
    • – eBird Online
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • BirdCast Daily Migration Maps
  • Time and Date
    • – Seasons
  • UC Museum of Paleontology
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
    • – Education Programs
  • US Geological Survey
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Latest Earthquakes
  • US National Weather Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Nationwide Air Quality
    • – Nationwide River Conditions
    • – Wildfire and Smoke Map
  • Wild & Scenic Rivers Program

Maps & Geography

  • Antipodes Map
  • FlightAware (Planes in the Air)
  • Mapquest World Maps
  • MarineTraffic (Ships at Sea)
  • OpenStreetMap World Maps
  • Printable Blank Maps & Flags
  • Printable Outline Maps (d-maps.com)
  • River Runner
  • USGS Topographic Maps
  • World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)
    • – Educator Resources
  • Zoom Earth

Civics & Social Science

  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Constitution Center
  • C-Span Classroom
  • Free Speech Curriculum from FIRE
  • Foundation for Economic Education
  • History of the Western World (I)
    • – Western World (II)
  • iCivics.org
  • Learn Liberty
  • Mises Institute Economics
  • MyMoney.gov
    • – Educator Resources
  • Online Library of Liberty
  • US Founding Documents
  • US Government Portal
    • – The Congress
    • – The Supreme Court
    • – The White House
  • US Mint
    • – Coin Activities for Kids
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Postal Museum
    • – Explore the Collections
    • – Activities for Kids
    • – Stamps Teach (from APS)
  • Visual Capitalist
Sign up for our free newsletter and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox every week!

All original content Β© 2017–2023 by The River Houses Β· The River Houses and the River Houses emblem are Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.