When's the First Day of Fall? Here's What You Need to Know
The first day of fall brings to mind many things. It means the arrival sweater weather and fall movie nights spent cozied up under blankets. We might break out our best pumpkin recipes, plan an autumn leaf peeping excursion to a nearby small town, or research the most popular Halloween party games because our favorite fall holiday is just around the corner. And on that first glorious autumn morning when that telltale chill is in air, it’s time to post a celebratory pic with one of our favorite fall quotes.
But when is the first day of fall, and how is it determined? Cooler weather and changing leaves aside, astronomy—and more specifically, the autumn equinox—tells us when the official first day of fall will arrive. The date varies slightly but is usually September 22 or 23 (and on rare occasions can fall on September 21 or 24).
Read on to answer all your questions about when is fall 2023. Bonus, you can finally wrap your head around what the autumn equinox is and when it occurs.
When is the first day of fall 2023?
Mark your calendars: The first day of autumn 2023 is Saturday, September 23. (Of course, if you happen to be part of the 10 percent of the world's population who lives in the Southern Hemisphere, fall begins in March, and the September equinox actually signals the start of spring. Confusing, we know.)
What is the autumn equinox?
First, let's start by sorting out what an equinox is. Scientifically speaking, an equinox occurs at the moment when the sun is aligned with the Earth's equator. There are two equinoxes every year—one in September and one in March—and they occur at seasonal transition points, determining the first day of fall and the first day of spring.
During an equinox, day and night are of nearly equal length. (Thanks to light refraction and the fact that even a small portion of the sun appearing above the horizon lights the sky, the day slightly edges out the night on an equinox, with about 12 hours and 10 minutes of daylight).
The autumn equinox marks the first day of fall. It also means the arrival of nights that are progressively longer than the days—though, technically, the balance shifts a few days later following the equilux, when the length of the day and night are exactly equal. This progression continues through the last day of fall, or December 20 this year, and ends on the shortest day of the year: the first day of winter, December 21, 2023.
For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox happens in September. (In the Southern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox happens in March, and the reverse is true for the spring equinox).
An equinox differs from a solstice, which represents one of the two moments in the year when the sun's path is farthest from the equator, either north or south, marking the first day of summer or winter.)
How is the autumn equinox related to the Harvest Moon?
On the full moon calendar, the Harvest Moon can occur in September or October, depending on which full moon falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2023, that will be the full moon on September 29.
What time is the autumn equinox in 2023?
The autumn equinox happens at the same moment worldwide, so the answer depends on your time zone.
Eastern Time: For those of you living in areas that abide by the Eastern time zone, you can expect the equinox to arrive at 2:50 a.m. EDT on September 23.
Central Time: Over in the Central time zone, the equinox is at 1:50 a.m. CDT on September 23.
Mountain Time: If you happen to live in a Mountain time zone area, the equinox will arrive at 12:50 a.m. MDT on September 23.
Pacific Time: The Pacific time zone can expect the fall equinox to arrive at 11:50 p.m. PDT on September 22.
When does Daylight Saving Time end?
Once fall arrives, you might start thinking about changing your clock. Not so fast! We have a few more weeks before Daylight Saving Time ends. This year, we'll "fall back" on Sunday, November 5.
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