The Earth rotates around the Sun and because of the tilt on its axis, the poles are not equally illuminated. Because of this, one pole is six months in darkness while the other is in six months of day light, regardless of the Earth's rotation. However, twice a year the poles receive an equal amount of day light: 21.03 and 23.09. When this occurs then both day and night are equally long – 12 hours. The Sun is then in its' zenith above the equator. The days then continue to get shorter until the Winter solstice when the days are the shortest, and from then on, they begin to get longer.

Does the Sun always rise in the East and set in the West? No. Only yesterday did the Sun rise exactly in the East and that was at 6:00 a.m. (if we didn't calculate the time change for summer time), and it set exactly in the West at 6:00 p.m. This was true for the entire Earth.

Some calculate the equinox as the beginning of autumn, but it is better not to because autumn is not astronomical occurance, it is a climatical one. Climatically, autumn began three weeks ago – September 1st, while the autumn equinox has no influence on climate. Be as it may, we can enjoy autumn which has come in both forms – in its bright colours, crisp mornings, gentle fog and, twilight evenings.

Photogallery: Autumn in Sopnica