SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -At the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon on these two equinoxes. The “nearly” equal hours of day and night are due to refraction of sunlight or a bending of the light’s rays that causes the sun to appear above the horizon when the actual position of the sun is below the horizon.

Detailed explanation-2: -The reason we on Earth have equinoxes at all is because the Earth’s axis is tilted. The Earth spins around an imaginary line running through it called its axis.

Detailed explanation-3: -Twice a year – on the March and September equinoxes – everyone worldwide supposedly receives exactly 12 hours of day and exactly 12 hours of night. But that’s not precisely true. In fact, there’s about 8 more minutes of daylight – at mid-temperate latitudes – on the day of an equinox. And there are two reasons why.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox, or vernal equinox, occurs around March 21, when the sun moves northward across the celestial equator. The autumnal equinox occurs around September 22 or 23, when the sun crosses the celestial equator going south. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the reverse.

Detailed explanation-5: -While the solstices result in a change of the length of night and day, the equinoxes do not. The summer and winter solstices result in the longest and shortest day of the year respectively while the equinoxes result in an equal amount of daylight and darkness received all across the earth.

Detailed explanation-6: -Refraction: Light Lingers Another reason for why the day is longer than 12 hours on an equinox is because the Earth’s atmosphere refracts sunlight. This refraction, or bending of the light, causes the Sun’s upper edge to be visible from Earth several minutes before the edge actually reaches the horizon.