General Question

Strauss's avatar

Why are the day and night not equal on the equinox?

Asked by Strauss (23812points) October 26th, 2016

According to the sunrise/sunset calendar (as well as several other sources I’ve seen) the fall equinox occurred on September 22, 2016. However, the length of the day (6:47 AM to 6:57 PM) was longer than the length of night. The day and night did not have the same length until four days later (September 26), when the day lasted from 6:50 AM to 6:50 PM, exactly 12 hours. What is the reason for this seeming discrepancy?

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4 Answers

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

What is your latitude? This is why.

ARE_you_kidding_me (20021points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
zenvelo's avatar

Here is an explanation.

The Sun’s apparent movement is strictly East/West.

zenvelo (39545points)“Great Answer” (7points) Flag as…
cazzie's avatar

@zenvelo SCIENCE!!! FTW!

cazzie (24516points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

@Yetanotheruser Your solution is still the latitude difference between you and where the calendar you are using has its reference. This is the mathematical equinox that neglects the solar and atmospheric effects @zenvelo linked.

ARE_you_kidding_me (20021points)“Great Answer” (3points) Flag as…

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