The September equinox occurs at 19:11 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
Continue readingMonthly Archives: September 2021
The Sky Tonight Update: Full Corn Moon
The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 23:54 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
The Sky Tonight Update: Neptune at Opposition
The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
The Science On Why Hurricane Ida Stayed So Strong For So Long

Hurricane Ida remained a hurricane for 16 hours after it made landfall on Sunday, Aug. 29. It remained a major hurricane (Category 3 or above) for six hours of that time. So, how did Idea have such staying power?
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