Next Saturday marks the autumnal equinox

The autumnal equinox occurs at 8:54 PM CDT Saturday morning in Chicago, marking the start in the Northern Hemisphere of astronomical autumn: the moment the direct rays of the sun reach the equator on their trek from north to south. For the next six months, the Southern Hemisphere will experience more daylight than the Northern Hemisphere. Days in the Northern Hemisphere will continue to shorten until reaching the reversal point on the Winter Solstice, Dec. 22, then days will begin to lengthen again. At equinox, day and night are about the same length (12 hours) no matter what latitude.