Okuzeka
Astronomy & Space vocabulary · The Night Sky & Measurement

Equinox

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈiːkwɪnɑːks/nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, equinox means: One of the two moments each year, around 20 March and 22 September, when the Sun is directly above the equator and day and night are roughly equal everywhere.

In Turkish: ekinoks, gece-gündüz eşitliği

How it is used

Called the spring (vernal) equinox and the autumn equinox, or the March and September equinoxes. It marks the start of astronomical spring or autumn. The plural is 'equinoxes'.

Example sentences

  1. At the equinox, the Sun rises due east and sets due west.

  2. The March equinox marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Common collocations

  • spring equinox
  • autumn equinox
  • vernal equinox
  • March equinox
  • solsticeOne of the two moments each year, around 21 June and 21 December, when the Sun reaches its highest or lowest midday point in the sky, giving the longest or shortest day.
  • SunThe star at the centre of our solar system. Its gravity holds the planets in their orbits, and its light and heat make life on Earth possible.
  • orbitThe curved path that an object such as a planet, moon or satellite follows around another object because of gravity. As a verb, it means to move along this path.

More terms: The Night Sky & Measurement

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: