Fall Equinox 2026: When Is the First Day of Fall 2026?
The next fall equinox will occur on March 20, 2026, in the Southern Hemisphere, marking the official start of autumn there. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fall equinox will arrive on September 23, 2026. To check the exact local time of the equinox for your location, use the free Sky Tonight app. Let’s take a closer look at this celestial event.
Contents
- What Is the Autumn Equinox?
- When Is the Autumn Equinox 2026?
- Full Moon and Autumn Equinox 2026
- Polar Lights and Autumn Equinox
- Zodiacal Light and Autumn Equinox
- Fall Equinox F.A.Q.
- Autumnal Equinox 2026: Key Facts
- What Is an Equinox? Learn More
- What is it?
The autumnal equinox (as well as spring equinox) is the moment when neither of the Earth’s hemispheres is inclined towards or away from the Sun.
- When is it?
The upcoming autumnal equinox will occur on March 20, 2026, in the Southern Hemisphere. After that, the next autumnal equinox will take place on September 23, 2026, in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Why is it important?
In astronomy, the autumnal equinox marks the change of seasons – the end of summer and the beginning of fall. People from different parts of our planet celebrate this day with different traditions and festivals.
What Is the Autumn Equinox?
Equinoxes happen when the Earth’s hemispheres aren’t tilted towards or away from the Sun. As a result, the Sun lies on the celestial equator, giving both hemispheres almost the same amount of sunlight.
Each year, there are two equinoxes: one in the spring and one in the fall. Once the autumnal equinox happens, the relevant hemisphere (the northern one in September and the southern one in March) is tilting away from the Sun. This leads to fewer daylight hours there, with the Sun rising later and setting earlier. This tilt continues to increase until the winter solstice, when the hemisphere is tilted most strongly away from the Sun.
When Is the Autumn Equinox 2026?
In the Southern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox will arrive on March 20, 2026. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fall equinox will take place on September 23, 2026.
When Is the First Day of Fall 2026: Two Ways to Count It
The astronomical method treats equinoxes and solstices as the official seasonal gateways. According to this approach, autumn in the Southern Hemisphere begins on March 20, 2026, while in the Northern Hemisphere, the first day of fall is September 23, 2026. Note that in some time zones the local date may shift by a day.
If you follow the meteorological definition instead, fall begins on a fixed calendar date: March 1 in the Southern Hemisphere and September 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. This approach relies on yearly temperature patterns. It aligns with the Gregorian calendar and employs consistent dates to evenly divide a year into four quarters.
What Time Is the Autumn Equinox 2026?
In the Southern Hemisphere, the next autumn equinox will occur on March 20, 2026, at 14:46 GMT. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fall equinox will take place on September 23, 2026, at 00:06 GMT.
The exact equinox time for your location depends on your time zone. Here are the autumn equinox timings for different time zones in the Southern Hemisphere in 2026:
- Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT, GMT +11): March 21, 01:46
- Australian Western Standard Time (AWST, GMT +8): March 20, 22:46
- South African Standard Time (SAST, GMT +2): March 20, 16:46
- New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT, GMT +13): March 21, 03:46
- Argentina Time (ART, GMT −3): March 20, 11:46
- Chile Summer Time (CLST, GMT −3): March 20, 11:46
- Brazil Time (BRT, GMT −3): March 20, 11:46
Here are the Northern Hemisphere fall equinox timings (for September 23, 2026, at 00:06 GMT):
- Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, GMT−4): September 22, 20:06
- Central Daylight Time (CDT, GMT−5): September 22, 19:06
- Mountain Daylight Time (MDT, GMT−6): September 22, 18:06
- Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, GMT−7): September 22, 17:06
- British Summer Time (BST, GMT+1): September 23, 01:06
- Central European Summer Time (CEST, GMT+2): September 23, 02:06
- Eastern European Summer Time (EEST, GMT+3): September 23, 03:06
- India Standard Time (IST, GMT+5:30): September 23, 05:36
- China Standard Time (CST, GMT+8): September 23, 08:06
- Japan Standard Time (JST, GMT+9): September 23, 09:06
The equinox happens at the same moment worldwide – only the clock time changes depending on your time zone. If you want to know exactly when the event will happen where you live, try the Sky Tonight app. Just open the search window in the app and type "equinox". You'll see the equinoxes’ dates and times, all set for your local time.
Fall Equinox Dates 2026-2030
The date of the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere can fall between March 19 and 21. Throughout the 21st century, March 20 will be the most common equinox day, happening 78 times. On March 21, it occurs only twice, and the remaining 20 times, it takes place on March 19.
The date of the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere can vary from September 21 to 24. In the 21st century, September 23 is the most common first day of fall, happening 76 times.
Here are the autumn equinox dates for five years:
Northern Hemisphere
- 2026: September 23, 00:06 GMT
- 2027: September 23, 06:02 GMT
- 2028: September 22, 11:45 GMT
- 2029: September 22, 17:37 GMT
- 2030: September 22, 23:27 GMT
Southern Hemisphere
- 2026: March 20, 14:46 GMT
- 2027: March 20, 20:25 GMT
- 2028: March 20, 02:17 GMT
- 2029: March 20, 08:01 GMT
- 2030: March 20, 13:51 GMT
Full Moon and Autumn Equinox 2026
Even though you can't directly observe the equinox, you can observe some effects it brings. For example, you might notice that the Full Moon rises earlier around the time of the autumnal equinox compared to other times. This happens because the angle of the Moon's path in the sky and the tilt of the Earth's axis align during this period.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the closest Full Moon to the autumn equinox occurs on April 2, 2026. In the Northern Hemisphere, the closest Full Moon to the autumn equinox occurs on September 26, 2026. You can find more details about the April Full Moon and the September Full Moon in our dedicated articles.
Polar Lights and Autumn Equinox
Another visible outcome of an equinox is the increasing activity of auroras – both the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) and the aurora australis (Southern Lights). Around equinoxes, your chances of seeing auroras increase in both hemispheres.
To simplify it, during equinoxes, the Earth's magnetic poles are situated in a way that they align well with the solar wind (the cause of the auroras), making it more likely for the Earth to "accept" it. Read our dedicated article on auroras to dive deeper into this topic.
Zodiacal Light and Autumn Equinox
The time around the equinoxes in both hemispheres is the best for viewing the zodiacal light – a rare and beautiful celestial phenomenon that looks like a hazy pyramid of light rising from the horizon. It occurs just after dusk near the vernal equinox and just before dawn near the autumnal equinox.
We see the zodiacal light because the sunlight reflects from dust grains orbiting the Sun in the inner Solar System. Learn more about where these dust grains come from and how to see the zodiacal light from our dedicated article.
Fall Equinox F.A.Q.
Are day and night truly equal on the equinox?
They're quite close to being equal, but not precisely. For example, on March 20, 2026, in Sydney, Australia, daylight will last 12 hours and 9 minutes. There are two reasons behind this slight discrepancy – first, atmospheric refraction (that delays sunsets by about 8 minutes), and second, the specific definition of sunset and sunrise. For a visual explanation of why day and night aren't exactly equal during equinoxes, you can check out our infographic about equinoxes.
By the way, there are indeed days when day and night are exactly the same length. They're called equiluxes and usually occur a few days after the autumnal equinox. However, the exact dates for equiluxes can vary for different locations. Learn more about equiluxes from our article.
When does autumn start in 2026?
In the Southern Hemisphere, autumn begins either on the March equinox (March 20, 2026) or on March 1, depending on which definition you use. In the Northern Hemisphere, autumn starts either on the September equinox (September 23, 2026) or on September 1. Astronomers count the solstices and equinoxes as the transition points between the seasons, while meteorologists consider the seasons to begin on the first day of the months that include the equinoxes and solstices. For more details, see our dedicated article on astronomical seasons.
When does Daylight Saving Time end in 2026?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at the start of autumn in many parts of the world. However, it does not happen exactly on the fall equinox. For instance, Australian Eastern Daylight Time will end on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at 3 a.m. At that time, move your clocks back one hour.
Do other planets have equinoxes and solstices?
All planets in our Solar System have axial tilts, leading to their own equinoxes and solstices. Venus and Jupiter have small tilts of 2.6° and 3.1°, respectively. Venus, with its quicker orbit, experiences these events every few months, while Jupiter's slower orbit means they occur roughly every three Earth years.
Mars, Saturn, and Neptune share tilts similar to Earth's: 25.2°, 26.8°, and 28.3°. Saturn's equinoxes present its rings edge-on to Earth.
Uranus stands out with its extreme tilt of 98°. It causes day and night to switch roughly every 17 hours around equinoxes, but during its summer and winter, half of the planet remains either in darkness or daylight.
Only Mercury’s tilt is extremely small, making its equinoxes and solstices barely noticeable.
What's the difference between an equinox and a solstice?
There are three key differences between an equinox and a solstice:
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Day and night balance vs. longest day or night. Equinoxes mark nearly equal lengths of day and night, while solstices bring the longest day or night of the year, depending on the season.
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Timing of events. Equinoxes occur in March and September, while solstices take place in June and December.
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Tilt angle. Equinoxes happen when the Earth's hemispheres aren't tilted toward or away from the Sun. Solstices occur when one hemisphere is tilted maximally toward the Sun (summer solstice) or away from it (winter solstice).
Now that you've gone through this article, you should be a pro at understanding equinoxes. Take our quiz to test yourself! If you paid attention while reading, you'll find it easy to tell the difference between solstices and equinoxes.
Autumnal Equinox 2026: Key Facts
In the Southern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox happens on March 20, 2026, at 14:46 GMT. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fall equinox occurs on September 23, 2026, at 00:06 GMT. This event signals the shift from summer to fall. Following the equinox, the nights grow longer, and temperatures begin to drop. During the equinox, the duration of daylight and nighttime is almost the same.
What Is an Equinox? Learn More
Now that you’re familiar with the fall equinox, why not explore its spring counterpart – and see how both fit together with the solstices? If you want a clearer picture of why seasons change, these links are a great next step:
- Vernal Equinox 2026
- What Are Equinoxes?
- What Are Solstices?
- Quiz: Can You Tell an Equinox From a Solstice? (It’s trickier than it looks, unless you’ve read up first!)
