Astronomy Picture of the Day

The Equal Night


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#103491 by @ 24.09.2007 00:00 - nach oben -
The Equal Night


Explanation:

Today, the
Sun crosses
the celestial equator heading south at 0951
UT.

Known as the equinox, the astronomical event marks the
first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the
south.

Equinox means equal night and with the Sun
on the celestial equator, Earth dwellers
will experience nearly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

Of course, for those
in the south,
the days will grow longer with the
Sun marching higher
in the sky as summer approaches.

A few weeks after the September
Equinox
of 1994, the Crew of the shuttle
orbiter Endeavour recorded
this image of the
Sun
poised
above the Earth's limb.

Glare illuminates Endeavour's
vertical tail (pointing toward the Earth) along with
radar equipment in
the payload bay.




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