Echinocțiul de toamnă 2026 are loc în această noapte: De ce toamna astronomică începe pe 23 septembrie și nu pe 1. Ce se schimbă

The autumn equinox in 2026 occurs on September 23 at 03:05 in Romania, marking the start of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. This event signifies that days will shorten and nights will lengthen, but it does not immediately change the weather. The equinox happens when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, transitioning from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere. The term 'equinox' comes from Latin, meaning 'equal night', although day and night are not exactly 12 hours everywhere due to atmospheric refraction. The astronomical autumn begins with the equinox, while meteorological autumn starts on September 1. The date of the equinox varies yearly, influenced by Earth's orbit around the Sun. After the equinox, daylight decreases until the winter solstice on December 21, but weather changes are not directly caused by the equinox itself.