In less important news --
Today, September 23, is the Autumn Equinox.
Happy equinox to Em! The 2011 September equinox will arrive at 4:05 a.m. CDT (9:05 UTC) on September 23. For us in the northern hemisphere, people are enjoying the cooler days of autumn even as preparations for winter are underway. South of the equator, spring begins.
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.
Dispelling the “exactly 12 hours of daylight” myth
During the equinox, the length of night and day across the world is nearly, but not entirely, equal. This is because the day is slightly longer in places that are further away from the equator, and because the sun takes longer to rise and set in these locations. Furthermore, the sun takes longer to rise and set farther from the equator because it does not set straight down - it moves in a horizontal direction.
Such a SPECIAL day!