As temperatures drop and leaves turn brown, it is clear that summer is taking its final bow. And with that arrives the yearly autumn equinox set for next week on September 22.
This occurrence heralds the official start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, when daylight and darkness are nearly identical in duration. It also represents the precise moment when the Northern Hemisphere will begin experiencing lengthier nights than days, while the Southern Hemisphere enters a phase of extended daylight hours compared to nighttime.
Dr Shyam Balaji, an astrophysics specialist at King's College London, discussed this phenomenon during a conversation with the Mirror. He said: "The September equinox occurs on 22 September at 18:19 UTC. It marks the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
"On this day, Earth's tilt of about 23.5 degrees aligns so that both hemispheres receive nearly equal hours of daylight and darkness. After the equinox, the Northern Hemisphere will move into longer nights than days, while the Southern Hemisphere transitions into longer days than nights."
Our four seasons stem chiefly from Earth's orbital journey around the Sun. Equinoxes, which take place when the Sun equally illuminates both hemispheres, announce the arrival of spring and autumn.
Solstices, conversely, occur when Earth's tilt reaches its most extreme point towards or away from the Sun, marking the start of summer and winter. It's thought that ancient humans, watchers of the natural world, recognised these cycles centuries ago.
They observed these changes whilst relying on the Sun to measure time, which has contributed to our current understanding of the seasons. The Met Office confirms that this year's 'astronomical autumn' will last roughly three months and conclude on Sunday, December 21.
An update issued on August 26 explained: "The autumn equinox signals the point when the Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt away from the Sun, leading to shorter days and cooler temperatures. From this point, nights become longer than days until the winter solstice."
According to a previous Mirror report, it added: "The season often brings unsettled weather, especially later on, when Atlantic depressions can lead to stormy conditions and strong gales. These changes are part of the natural shift as the country prepares for winter."
Despite the extended nights, clocks across the UK will move back by one hour at 2am on the final Sunday of October, which falls on October 26. This will return the UK to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), making days feel briefer and nights longer - though you may gain an additional hour's rest.
Specialists at Royal Museums Greenwich explain: "Daylight saving, or summer time, is a mechanism to make the most of increased summer daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere.
"...A campaign at the beginning of the 20th century successfully argued in favour of changing the clocks during the summer months to avoid wasting time in the morning."
Currently, supporters contend that shifting the clocks assists in cutting energy usage, promotes outdoor pursuits, and even reduces traffic collisions. However, critics suggest that darker mornings could pose safety risks or cause 'inconvenience' to certain workers. The experts add: "It's an ongoing debate that strongly depends on people's geographical location, occupation and lifestyle."
Britain will stay on GMT until March 29, 2026. At 1 am on this date, the clocks will switch back to BST. Gadgets such as computers and smartphones linked to the internet will automatically adjust to show this alteration.
Nonetheless, if you'd like to mark it in your calendar, the Government offers a full list of future clock changes on its website.