At Autumn Equinox, we celebrate the astronomical beginning of the Autumn Season. As you likely know, the word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”, and we trust that it is so. But on the actual Equinox date, the days and night are not precisely equal.
But reach a balance it does. Very close to the actual equinoxes each year (Spring and Autumn), a perfect balance — day and night each precisely 12 hours — is achieved. That precise balance is the equilux, meaning “equal light”.
Moreover, that shift happens at different times for the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
The TimeAndDate website tells us that in the Northern Hemisphere, the equilux happens “a few days before the spring equinox (vernal equinox) and a few days after the autumn equinox. South of the equator, it’s the other way around.”
In 2023, the next equinox arrives on September 23rd at 06:50 UTC (which for me is September 22nd at 11:50 pm PDT), but the Equilux arrives on September 25th.
Does it matter?
For some (most), this minor adjustment doesn’t factor into their Autumn or Spring Equinox celebrations. But like the Fire Festivals of Samhain, Imbolg, Bealtaine and Lúnasa, some like to celebrate on the “true” date, i.e. precise date, rather than the traditional date.
And if you work with magic, and want to call in that sense of balance, it may be better to perform that spell or ritual on the Equilux rather than the Equinox.
Find Your Equilux Date
Per TimeAndDate, “The table in our equilux article gives a rough overview of the equilux dates at different latitudes—but it’s also possible to find the exact date for your location:
- Go to our Sun Calculator and search your city.
- Scroll down to the table and find the date when the duration shown in the ‘Length’ column is closest to 12:00:00.”