Equilux

2018 Update
Friday, March 16 is the day of the EQUILUX here in Las Vegas (As close as it can be, at least). Day and Night are mere seconds away from being equal! Midday is at 12:49 p.m.

The Vernal EQUINOX will occur on Mar. 20, 2018 at exactly 9:15 am.

​2017 Update
In Las Vegas the EQUINOX is at September 22 Sat 6:54 PM PT
The EQUILUX occurs on Sep 26 - Wednesday ALL DAY with midday at 12:31 PM PT

2016 UPDATE
In Las Vegas the EQUINOX is at Sep 22 7:21 AM PDT
The Equilux occurs on Sep 25 - ALL DAY with midday at 12:32 PM

Sun and Moon 1493

The equinox is not really when the day and night are equal. We know that "equinox" derives from the Latin: aequinoctium - "aequi" or "equi" + noct (nox) or night or "equal night"... but No, not equal by a few minutes of the day

At the precise moment of the equinox there are three things happening: 

1.) the sun is at zenith over the equator
2.) where the sun rises, it does so exactly in the east and where it sets it does so exactly in the west and
3.) both northern & southern hemispheres are EQUALLY illuminated on the side of the planet that the sun is shining on.

For us, here in Las Vegas, the EXACT moment of the equinox happened at 1:22 AM, earlier today. That's it. That one precise moment in time at 1:22 AM was the equinox.

Here in Las Vegas, dawn was at 6:29 AM and sunset was at 6:36 PM; giving us 12 hours and 6 minutes of daylight. Not equal. (But it's only six minutes... you can't forgive 6 minutes?!) No.

There are two reasons for this inequality: First, the sun is not a point in the sky. It is a disk. The apparent size of the sun (it's BIG & CLOSE) matters. Second, the atmospheric refraction of the sunlight in relation to the latitude of your location. The earth's atmosphere bends the light adding or subtracting how much actual daylight you have. Check this site for a more thorough explanation: Day and night exactly equal at equinoxes? By Bruce McClure)

Somewhere in the early 2000's, someone (probably my soul twin), usurped the word "Equilux" to mean 'equal day and night'... taken from a lighting term meaning 'equal illumination' or 'equal light'. 

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The equilux for Las Vegas will occur on September 26.... and guess what? It's the whole day!

Screenshot from http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/las-vegas

Happy Thanksgiving by Faith Goble https://www.flickr.com/photos/grafixer/5189263412

But despite that most don't exactly know the astronomical details, the Autumnal Equinox is a time to give "Thanks" for the success of our harvests, whether literal or metaphorically, and to prepare and look to the future return of that bounty. 

We pay respects to the coming forces of night and Winter and learn from them as we ourselves prepare for the dark season ahead. The night starts waxing and the day begins waning and we are reminded that nothing ever remains without change. 

The Inner Circle Sanctuary celebrates all these aspects of the Autumn Equinox in it's ritual. We honor the Old Ones and pay respects to our ancestors by doing as they did in this season; by giving offerings from the harvest back to Mother Earth and to mark the season.  

We hope your Autumnal Equinox was filled with love, laughter, family, and friendship... and a deep and loving connection with all that envelops us.

~Lady Atheona

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Click on the photo for more pictures from the ICS Mabon 2015 Sabbat

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Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox
http://www.weather.com/science/nature/news/fall-autumnal-september-equinox
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150922-equinox-autumn-seasons-sun-moon-space-science/ >> Great movie here 2:44 min
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equinox
Why aren't there exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the fall equinox? http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox
Day and night exactly equal at equinoxes? By Bruce McClure http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/why-arent-day-and-night-equal-on-the-day-of-the-equinox
The Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar
ICS Sabbat packet