The First Day Of Fall 2019 Is Upon Us: Can't-Miss Events

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The fall equinox on Monday, Sept. 23, officially ushers in the new season and its promise of crisp air, show-stopping leaf displays and more sunny afternoons in college football stadiums. Fall is an especially exciting time of year in Annapolis.

The autumnal equinox isn't a day-long event, but rather occurs at the exact moment the sun crosses the celestial equator. In New York City, fall officially arrives at 3:50 a.m. EDT. We're also coming up on the end of Daylight Saving Time, which officially ends on Sunday, Nov. 3, but that's a while off.

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2019 Anne Arundel County Fall Events You Can't Miss

To help usher in the fall season, make plans to attend one of several events going on in the area. Fall Fest at Market Space in Historic Downtown Annapolis happens to be the perfect spot for an afternoon of fun at this block party planned for Sept. 22. The event begins at noon with live music, food and drink specials from local eateries, face painting and more and runs until 6 p.m. The Fall Festival at Annapolis Maritime Museum and Education Center Oct. 15 offers fun for kids who will embark upon a scavenger hunt at Back Creek Nature Park to find clues as to how animals and plants prepare for the fall season, experiment with leaves to learn why they change colors, create fall-themed art and make then eat pumpkin pie.

Guests at the Maryland Avenue Fall Festival/Halloween on the Avenue, hosted by Maryland Avenue and State Circle Association along with the Downtown Annapolis Partnership, will delight in this annual event planned for Oct. 20 from Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Maryland Avenue between State Circle and King George Street. The Maryland Avenue Fall Festival is one of the longest running in the state. There will be fall treats, costume fun, music, performances and an assortment of vendors.

There will be a trunk or treat at Bay Area Community Church Friday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., 884 Chesterfield Rd., Annapolis. Historic Savage Mill Ghost Tours will be held Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 30. Annapolis Historic Hauntings Ghost Tours will be weekends through October in old Annapolis.

The word equinox comes from the Latin words "aequus," which means "equal," and "nox," which means night. That's led to the perception that everyone worldwide sees the same amount of daylight and nighttime, but it's not the absolute truth. To be precise, daylight lasts about 8 minutes longer than nighttime on the day of the equinox.

Here are five other things to know about the September equinox:

1. There's no guarantee, of course, but the chances of seeing stunning aurora borealis displays increase after the fall equinox, according to NASA. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are good aurora seasons, but autumn produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average.

2. Nobody alive has seen a rare Sept. 21 autumnal equinox, and only young people have any hope of seeing one barring any big shifts in life expectancy. It hasn't happened on that date in many millennia, and it won't happen again until 2092 and 2096. The date of the September equinox varies. Usually, it's on the 22nd or, as it is this year, the 23rd, but it can occur as early as Sept. 21 or as late as Sept. 24 (that hasn't happened since 1931, and won't again until 2303). The reason: A year is defined as 365 days by the Gregorian calendar, but it takes the Earth 365 and ¼ days to orbit the sun. What this means is the autumnal equinox occurs about 6 hours later than it did the year prior, which eventually moves the date by a day.

3. Thank Canada for spectacular fall sunsets with more vivid with pinks, reds and oranges than at any other time of the year. The Weather Channel offers an explanation: Dry, clean Canadian air begins to sweep across the country, fewer colors of the rainbow spectrum are scattered by air molecules. That means the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks make it through for your sunset-viewing pleasure.

4. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will rise due east and set due west during the fall equinox (the same thing happens during the spring equinox). For the directionally challenged, it's a good time for a reset. Go outside around sunset or sunrise, find a landmark and mark the sun's location in relation to it.

5. Fall isn't just a time for the human world to start buttoning things up outside. It's rutting — or mating — season for deer, elk and moose, and males will battle it out by thrusting their antlers together until one of them gives up or dies. Swans, geese and ducks begin their migration south. Frogs burrow deep into mud holes to wait out the winter. Chipmunks retreat to their underground tunnels. Bears eat and drink almost non-stop as they prepare for hibernation.