Welcome to the 9th edition of 6 Storm Team Starwatch! This is a blog that will be posted weekly that will list events happening in the sky this week! Monday, September 23rd 2019Today is the autumnal equinox which marks the first day of astronomical fall! Fall officially begins at 3:50 AM EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. The word equinox means that the Sun spends about the same number of hours above the horizon as it does below. Hence, on both the fall and spring equinoxes, the length of day and night are about equal. So what exactly happens during the equinox? Check out the animation below courtesy of Tony Rice and http://equinox.whatsupin.space/. This illustrates how the Sun moves between the summer solstice, the fall equinox, the winter solstice and the back through until June 2020. Technically the autumnal equinox marks when the point directly below the Sun crosses over the equator. This point has been making its way South since the Sun passed over the Tropic of Cancer during the summer solstice. It will move over the Tropic of Capricorn during the winter solstice. Saturday, September 28th 2019Tonight is the New Moon. Remember, a New Moon is not visible to us here on Earth. Special thanks to Tony Rice for this information! Additionally, the following sites were used: