Finally Fall!

By: Brantley Ussery - Email

Posted: Wed 3:44 PM, Sep 22, 2010

Fall finally begins, but the extreme heat isn't going anywhere! There's also a spectacle in the sky tonight that you've got to see!

After a long, hot summer, fall will finally arrive this evening at 11:09 p.m. At that precise moment, the sun will be directly overhead at the equator, in what we call the autumnal equinox. This marks only one of two occasions then the amounts of daytime and nighttime are roughly equal across the entire planet – the other occasion is the spring (or vernal) equinox. Despite fall making its official arrival, the heat will continue to intensify. A strong ridge of high pressure will allow this warmth to build for Thursday and Friday, with highs reaching incredible levels for this time of year. Most places will be able to warm into the lower and mid 90s over the next few days and a few more records could come down. It looks like a cooling trend will take place late in the weekend and into next week.

This is a special autumnal equinox because it also marks the night of our September full moon, also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the start of fall, so on rare occasions the Harvest Moon can actually take place in October. Rarely does the Harvest Moon actually take place on the exact date of the autumnal equinox like it will tonight! In fact, this hasn't happened since 1991 and won't happen again until 2029! If you pay close attention, you will also notice a bright glow near the moon, which will be the planet Jupiter. So as the sun goes down tonight and the Harvest Moon rises, it will be a spectacular celestial show to welcome in the start of a new season!

On a side note, fall is my favorite season and I can't wait for the leaves to begin changing. What's your favorite thing about fall? Post your comments and you may find them featured on CBS19 News!

Brantley

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