When Is The First Day Of Fall 2023? Equinox Events In Worcester County

MILFORD, MA — Even though Labor Day is over and school has been in session for weeks, fall officially starts this weekend.

The autumnal equinox occurs Saturday, Sept. 23 at about 2:50 a.m. The equinox not only ushers in a new season, but also plenty of fall-themed events, from Oktoberfest celebrations to about a half-dozen fall and winter meteor showers.

There are plenty of chances in the region 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), although this weekend could be a washout.

Here are some fall equinox celebrations in the area this weekend to kick off your autumn:

• 30th Annual Johnny Appleseed Festival, Leominster
• Fall Equinox Solstice Paddle/Cruise, White's Landing Historic, Brookfield
• In-Person Fall Equinox Celebration, Old Frog Pond Farm, Harvard
• Hey Day Festival, Mass Audubon Wachusett Meadow, Princeton
• Marlborough Oktoberfest, Flying Dreams Brewing Co., Marlborough
• Fall Equinox Hike and Sip, Powisset Farm, Dover
• Stowe Farm Fall Festival, Stowe Farm, Millbury
• Parish Multicultural Festival, St. Mary of the Assumption, Milford
• Autumn Equinox Forest Bathing, Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough
• Phantom Gourmet Food Festival, Moody Street, Waltham
• Autumn Hollow & Comanchero, Amazing Things Art Center, Framingham
• Greater Good Imperial Fest, Greater Good Brewing, Worcester
• Spirit of Shrewsbury Festival, Oak Middle School, Shrewsbury

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.

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’ Annular Eclipse A Warmup For 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

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.

• Related: Fall Foliage Peak 2023: Best Leaf-Peeping Times In All 50 States

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.

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.