Equinox

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/equinox

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the related celestial events?Solstices (longest and shortest days of the year)
2. Why is it called "equal night"?The name comes from Latin meaning equal night, because at that moment day and night are almost the same.
3. How do scientists know when the equinox happens?They look at the Sun's position: when its longitude is 0° for the spring equinox or 180° for the fall equinox.

Celestial Equator: An imaginary circle on the celestial sphere, directly above Earth's equator.
Ecliptic Longitude: A coordinate used to specify the position of objects in the sky along the ecliptic plane.
Atmospheric Refraction: The bending of light rays as they pass through Earth's atmosphere.