5 things to know about the 2016 autumn equinox

Even though temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s the next few days, giving New Jersey one last taste of summer, the astronomical calendar says autumn will officially arrive at 10:21 a.m. Thursday here on the East Coast.

That's when the sun will be shining directly on the Earth's equator, bringing almost the same exact amount of daylight and darkness all around the world on that day, which is known as the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere.

Here are a few facts about the autumn equinox:

(1) The autumn equinox is also referred to as the autumnal equinox, the fall equinox and the September equinox.

(2) In the southern hemisphere, Sept. 22 will be the spring equinox, which is also known as the vernal equinox. The spring season starts down there, with the weather warming up, while the cooler autumn season starts up here.

(3) The word equinox was formed by two Latin words: "Equi" is the Latin prefix for "equal" and "nox" is the Latin word for "night." The equal refers to the fact that the amount of daylight and darkness on this day are almost equal. In case you're wondering why they're not exactly equal, here are the technical reasons, as explained by TimeAndDate.com.
4) Meteorologists and climatologists don't follow the astronomical seasons, so they don't consider Sept. 22 the start of fall. Weather folks consider the first day of autumn to be Sept. 1, the first day of winter Dec. 1, the first day of spring March 1 and the first day of summer June 1. Each of those seasons, known as "meteorological seasons," runs three full months and they are based on the annual temperature cycle instead of the earth's rotation around the sun. Here's a detailed explanation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA.

(5) In some cultures, the start of autumn is celebrated by feasting on the summer's harvest and making preparations for the winter. In other cultures, it's a time to remember and honor the dead "by visiting, cleaning and decorating their graves," according to a report by TimeAndDate.com.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at [login to see] . Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.