Comments on: Midseason autumnal equinox

By: SIMON EVANS

SIMON EVANS — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:23:06 +0000

HERE IN RIO DE JANEIRO, WE HAVE SUMMER AND WINTER ONLY [SPRING MIGHT BE A BETTER WORD] ALTHOUGH 40 DEGREE TYEMPERATURES IN WINTER ARE NOT AT ALL RARE. IN HTE TROPICS, THE TRADITIONAL SEASONS DO NOT MEAN MUYCH,AND THERE ARE REGIONS IN [NORTH] BRAZIL WHICH TRADITIONALLY CALL THE WET SEASON WINTER AND THE DRY, SUMMER, ALTHOUHG THE WET SEASON IS THE ATRONOMICAL SUMMER…
THE REASONS FOR THE SESONS ARE ASTRONOMICAL THOUGH, SO IT IS PERFECTLY VALID TO USE AN ASTRONOMICAL DEFINITION. ANYWAY, IT´S IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH TWO PARTS OF THE SAME COUNTRY WHICH ARE EITHER SIDE OF THE EQUATOR WITH EXACTLY THE SAME CLIMATE….

By: The Inoculated Mind : It’s not fall until…

The Inoculated Mind : It’s not fall until… — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 04:50:55 +0000

[…] Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer pointed out when the Autumnal Equinox comes around, people call it the beginning of autumn, but he considers it to be in the middle of the season. The borders between seasons are fuzzy and vague, so for people who like fine lines in their lives, the point at which the day and night are equal in length (or technically, where the equator crosses the ecliptic) is a simple way to demarcate a seasonal transition. […]

By: Big Al

Big Al — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:42:37 +0000

I’m stunned to see so many Americans using “autumn” instead of “fall”! I had no idea the term was used in the U.S.A.

By: Brant D.

Brant D. — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:45:38 +0000

Meteorologists use a simple definition for the seasons because the idea that seasons, both globally and locally, have fixed starting points down to the day in the year is unrealistic. Two or three weeks, sure, but not a day. It is pretty silly to be so specific about it. So meteorological seasons proper are used more for statistical “binning” of data than they are for explaining physical atmospheric and associated processes.

By: Elwood Herring

Elwood Herring — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:20:14 +0000

I’m in Birmingham, England. Today’s temperature was in the mid 70’s and the leaves haven’t even started falling off the trees yet. Very unusual.

By: Phil Brady

Phil Brady — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 18:59:25 +0000

Here’s something that’s pestered me for a while: If Summer Solstice is when the Sun is at its highest in the sky, and Winter its lowest, then it would follow that the Equinoxes (Equini?) are midpoints. Does the Sun rise due east and set due west on those days? (That is, at the 90 and 270 degree points on the circle, instead of slightly more north or south.) If not, when might that happen?

By: Sofar

Sofar — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:32:36 +0000

I think at this point, yes, we’ve established that it is cold in Canada and hot in Texas. Here at the 47th paralell Autumn is right on schedule, the trees started leaving a month ago and it is about 55 degrees fahrenheit at the moment. I agree with Phil, though. The Summer and Winter solstices definitely mark the middle of their respective seasons.