Thoughts on the Equinox and Learning
Tomorrow will be official the first day of fall. Thursday, September 22nd, 2022 is the autumn equinox, the day when the length of day equals the length of night. Of course, it is a spring equinox in the southern hemisphere, but for us, it is the beginning of fall. As a science teacher, I see lots of opportunities to discuss it with my students. For example, why does the equinox happen? How fast will the length of the day change during different times throughout the year? For example, now the rate of change is the fastest. Why does it happen? What happens to the world-nature around us during the fall and why? How are the astronomical phenomena, such as equinoxes related to the calendar and how we measure time and seasons?
While doing a quick search, I found a few interesting facts about the equinox we can use to draw students’ attention and interest in science and I think they can and should be used in science classes:
- Equinox is an instantaneous phenomenon. …
- Day and Night are not precisely 12 hours each. …
- Equinox does not occur on a fixed day. …
- Equinoxes signal the start of Northern Lights. …
- Harvest Moon in the Autumnal Equinox. …
- Autumn Equinox once marked the start of the new year.
A beautiful view of the harbor in Tofino, BC.
I wish you all a happy and productive fall.