With each sunrise and sunset, it signals the arrival of morning or night.

However, many people notice that sometimes the hours of day and night are equal, or typically lengthy, during the Ber months.

This is due to the equinox, which is when the equator, or the midpoint of our world, aligns with the sun.  

On our planet, we experience two equinoxes: the vernal equinox around March 20 or 21 and the autumnal equinox around September 22 or 23 which happens annually.

But what does “equinox” mean?

The term comes from the Latin words “aequi” which means equal, and “nox” which means night.  

On September 22, the autumnal equinox is recorded, marking equal hours of day and night.

This occurs because our Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun.  

Due to this ‘tilt’, different parts of the world experience longer days at various times.

However, the Earth’s alignment with the sun is equal across various parts of the world during the equinox.  

In the Philippines, being close to the equator, we feel the variation in the length of day and night.

Thus, as we continue to experience the September equinox, days become shorter and nights become longer.  

In other countries, equinoxes are used to mark the beginning of autumn and spring, and they also use this to guide various emerging civilizations on when to start planting and harvesting to ensure enough food storage for winter.  

**Valerie Ann Dismaya