The Know Daily - Monday 22 September 2025

_{Read in 4m 05s ∙ Listening to Spencer Crandall ∙}

In Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, a wildlife photographer struck gold – a cheerful elephant family at play. Baby calves mock-charged cars, chased birds and tugged at branches, showing off pure joy in the wild 🐘

🍂 The autumn equinox

Another equinox is here! A twice-yearly moment when the tilt of the Earth lines up with the Sun, and day and night come closer to equal length. In the UK this year it lands on 22 September at 19:19 BST. But what happens, why is it important and how might it affect you?

What happens during the autumn equinox?
The equinox marks the point when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, heading southward. From this date onwards, nights grow longer than days until the winter solstice. The word itself comes from Latin: aequus (equal) and nox (night). But don’t be fooled – thanks to how light moves through Earth’s atmosphere and how we measure sunrise and sunset, you actually still get a little more daylight than darkness on the day itself.

Got it, so why is it important?
For astronomers, it’s the official start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. For everyone else, it’s the seasonal signal that evenings are drawing in, the air is cooling and autumn rituals begin – from harvest festivals to pumpkin lattes. The equinox also lines up the Sun to rise in the east and set in the west, making it a neat marker if you’re into stargazing or photography.

A short history lesson.
Humans have tracked the equinox for millennia. Ancient monuments like Stonehenge are thought to be aligned with solar events, and harvest traditions across cultures often tied celebrations to the balance of light and dark. While today we rely on calendars and weather apps, the equinox still carries that sense of turning a page in the year.

How does it affect me?
Practically, you’ll notice shorter evening daylight and cooler nights. Commuters will find dusk falling earlier, gardeners may be racing against daylight and skywatchers get longer windows for stargazing. Oh, and if you’re feeling a subtle mood shift, you’re not alone: scientists say changes in daylight can influence sleep cycles and energy levels. And while we talk about “equal day and night”, in the UK the real balance point – sometimes called the equilux – actually comes a couple of days later.

Your personal sky diary: what to look up for this week
🌌 Planet parade – Four planets are clustered in the evening sky around the equinox: Mercury low near the horizon, Mars and Jupiter higher up, and Saturn brighter too.
🌞 Solar eclipse alert – a partial eclipse will be visible in parts of the South Pacific just after the equinox, offering skywatchers a rare treat.
💫 Star signs – if you are into zodiacs, you can discover what the equinox means for your horoscope. 

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Trivia answer: A) Delulu made it into the Cambridge Dictionary, alongside “skibidi” and “tradwife”.

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