From shorter days to massive migrations, what happens when the sun aligns with the equator?

Today we'll find out what's up with the autumnal equinox.

And, hint, it's a lot more than pumpkin spice season.

I'm Bethany Van Delft.

It's September 21st, and this is the 10 News.

10.

9. 8.7. 6. 5, 4, 3.1.

If you set an alarm for 3.20 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, September 22nd, 2021, you'll know the precise moment the autumnal equinox arrives.

It's coming. It's headed right for us. It's already here.

The autumnal equinox also called the September equinox or fall equinox is the official beginning

of fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.

It's the moment when the sun is lined up with the equator, the imaginary line that runs around the center

of the earth and divides the northern and southern hemispheres. The word equinox comes from Latin

words equis, which means equal, and nox meaning night. During the equinox, the day and night

are almost equal in length. Cool. After the equinox, the day and night are almost equal in length.

Cool.

After the equinox, that starts to change as the days start having less and less sunlight here in the northern hemisphere,

up until December solstice on December 21st.

Hopefully no grown-ups listening will use this as an excuse for an earlier bedtime.

Boom!

Seeing birds in the air is a common sight this time of year as many species start migrating

toward cooler weather. But did you know that butterflies also make an annual trek?

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