When Is The First Day Of Fall 2023? Enjoy Autumn Events In Illinois

ILLINOIS — It's almost fall — the autumnal equinox is Saturday, Sept. 23 — and there's plenty of seasonal fun to be had in the Chicago area.

The equinox is the official start of autumn, which means it's nearly time for crisp air, show-stopping fall foliage, nights around the fire pit and seasonal fun like pumpkin patches, corn mazes and apple picking jaunts.

There are plenty of chances in the Chicago area to play in the sunshine before the cold of winter creeps in (the winter solstice is Thursday, Dec. 21, if you’re keeping track on the calendar).

Some things to take in around the Chicago area include:

• Football season is underway for professional teams and many colleges, and “Friday night lights” — the moniker that’s been given to high school football games — are shining. Whether you're an alum or just want to catch the game, it's worth cheering on your local team.
• 'Tis the season to be spooky, and you can already check out some yard haunts as Halloween approaches. Patch is rounding up local homes that will be decked out for the occasion: Patch's 2023 Guide To Chicagoland's Best Halloween Yard Haunts
• The "World's Largest Corn Maze" is paying tribute to the 30th anniversary of "Jurassic Park."
• Enjoy the fall colors during a hike at Illinois' most beautiful place, Starved Rock State Park near Utica, or nearby at Matthiessen State Park, as well as Pere Marquette State Park in downstate Grafton, voted one of the best places in the U.S. to see fall leaves.

More outdoor fun in the Chicago area:

• Chicagoland Apple Orchards: Fall 2023 Guide
• Chicago Area Fall Festivals: Craft Shows, Oktoberfests, Street Markets
• Fall Foliage Peak 2023: When To Time Leaf-Peeping Tours In Illinois

Change of Seasons

The autumnal equinox isn’t a daylong event, but rather occurs at the exact moment the sun crosses the celestial equator — that’s at 2:49 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sept. 23.

• Related:'Ring Of Fire' 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse: What You Need To Know In IL

The word equinox comes from the Latin words “aequus,” which means “equal,” and “nox,” which means night. That’s led to the perception that everyone worldwide sees the same amount of daylight and nighttime, but it’s not the absolute truth. To be precise, daylight lasts about eight minutes longer than nighttime on the day of the equinox, EarthSky reported.

Speaking of daylight, it’ll be time for the twice annual clock-changing ritual before you know it. Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 5. You may recall legislation for year-round daylight saving time sailed through the Senate, but the issue is far from settled in the House.

Here are five other things to know about the September equinox:

1. There’s no guarantee, of course, but the chances of seeing stunning northern lights displays increase after the fall equinox, according to NASA. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are good aurora seasons, but autumn produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average. And right now, the chances of seeing auroras are greater as the sun approaches “solar maximum” in its 11-year cycle and the number of sunspots ramps up.

• Related: Aurora Borealis Displays More Likely In Active Solar Storm Season | Aurora Borealis Hunting: What’s A Kp Index, More Northern Lights Tips

2. The date of the September equinox varies. Usually, it’s on the 22nd, as it is this year, or the 23rd, but it can occur as early as Sept. 21 or as late as Sept. 24, according to Space.com.

A Sept. 21 autumnal equinox hasn’t occurred in several millennia, but some folks alive today may see it the next couple of times it rolls around, in 2092 and then again four years later in 2096. And the first day of fall hasn’t fallen on Sept. 24 since 1931, and that won’t happen again until 2303.

• Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons And Other Celestial Events

Here’s the reason: A year is defined as 365 days by the Gregorian calendar, but it takes the Earth 365-¼ days to orbit the sun. What this means is the autumnal equinox occurs about six hours later than it did the year prior, which eventually moves the date by a day.

3. Thank Canada for spectacular fall sunsets with more vivid pinks, reds and oranges than at any other time of the year. The Weather Channel offers an explanation: As dry, clean Canadian air begins to sweep across the country, fewer colors of the rainbow spectrum are scattered by air molecules. That means the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks make it through for your sunset-viewing pleasure.

4. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will rise due east and set due west during the fall equinox (the same thing happens during the spring equinox). For the directionally challenged, it’s a good time for a reset. Go outside around sunset or sunrise, find a landmark and mark the sun’s location in relation to it.

5. Fall isn’t just a time to start winterizing homes against stink bugs and other insects and buttoning up other things outside. It’s rutting — or mating — season for deer, elk and moose, and males will battle it out by thrusting their antlers together until one of them gives up or dies.

Swans, geese and ducks begin their migration south. Frogs burrow deep into mudholes to wait out the winter. Chipmunks retreat to their underground tunnels. Bears eat and drink almost nonstop as they prepare for hibernation.