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Credit & Copyright: Roland Christen
Explanation:
What's that at the end of the road?
The Sun.
Many towns have roads that run east - west, and on two days each year, the Sun rises
and sets
right down the middle.
Today is one of those days: an
equinox.
Not only is today a day of equal night ("aequus"-"nox") and day time, but also a day when the
sun rises precisely to the east and sets due west.
Featured here is a picturesque road in
northwest
Illinois, USA that runs approximately
east -west.
The image was taken during the
March Equinox
of 2015, and shows the Sun down the road at sunset.
In many cultures, this
March equinox
is taken to be the first day of a season, typically spring in Earth's
northern hemisphere,
and autumn in the
south.
Does your favorite street run east - west?
Tonight, at sunset, you can find out with a quick glance.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: equinox
Publications with words: equinox
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 22 Á Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City
- Sunrise Shadows in the Sky
- APOD: 2024 March 19 Á A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
- APOD: 2023 March 19 Á Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
- Equinox Sunrise Around the World
- September Sunrise Shadows
- Equinox on a Spinning Earth