Technologies

Autumn Equinox Is in Two Weeks: What It Is and What It Looks Like

Experience an equinox sunrise later this month, which marks the arrival of fall in the Northern Hemisphere.

Even if the leaves haven’t yet begun turning where you live, Labor Day is over, school is back in session and fall is almost here. The official arrival of the season is the autumnal equinox, which occurs in the Northern Hemisphere this month.

After a hot summer, the September equinox marks a welcome shift in the seasons for many folks. But what exactly is an equinox? It’s all about Earth and its relationship with the sun. Here’s how to understand, visualize and celebrate the autumnal equinox.

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When is the autumn equinox?

This year, the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere falls on Monday, Sept. 22. If you want to be extra specific and mark it on your calendar, mark it for 11:19 a.m. PT.

Dates can shift slightly for equinoxes depending on the year, but it’s always around this time in September. The next vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere takes place on March 20, 2026, and will mark the start of spring.

What is the autumn equinox?

The meaning of equinox is right there in the name: a combination of the Latin words for equal and night.

«There are only two times of the year when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a ‘nearly’ equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes,» the National Weather Service said in an explainer about the seasons.

The Earth spins on an axis (imagine a line running from pole to pole) and the planet sports a jaunty 23.5-degree tilt. The tilt is what gives us seasons. As the Earth orbits the sun, the tilt means some areas of the planet get more direct sunlight than others. That’s how it can be summer in the Northern Hemisphere (tilted toward the sun) and winter in the Southern Hemisphere (tilted away from the sun) at the same time. During the equinox, the sun shines straight at the equator and gives equal love to the two hemispheres.

Other planets that are also tilted on their axes of rotation also experience equinoxes. The time scales can be very different, however. An equinox on Saturn only comes around about every 15 Earth years. That means each season lasts for over seven years on Saturn. It’s even wilder on Neptune, which has seasons that last decades. We can be grateful for the relatively short seasons on our planet.

What does an equinox look like?

Wherever you are on Earth on the day of the equinox (and whether it’s a spring or fall equinox, depending on which hemisphere you live in), the sun will rise as close to east and set as close to west as possible, making it a foolproof compass. Go outside and watch the sunset and sunrise, and make a note of the landmarks in front of the sun. That way, you’ll always know what exactly is west and east.

The two annual equinoxes also feature the fastest sunrise and sunset of the year, with the sun taking just a few seconds to appear and disappear. That’s because this is the steepest angle at which the sun rises and sets during the year.

How is an equinox different from a solstice?

As with equinoxes, solstices are associated with Earth’s tilt, but instead of daylight and nighttime being even, the days and nights are at their extremes. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, while the summer solstice is the longest. This year, the winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere falls on Sunday, Dec. 21.

What does the equinox look like from space?

Earth-watching satellites up in orbit have a unique view of the equinox. A NASA Earth Observatory video shows Earth from space and how the positioning of the sun’s light shifts with the changing of the seasons. It’s a great way to visualize what’s happening during our planet’s orbit around the sun.

Celebrating the equinox

Equinoxes aren’t like eclipses or meteors. There isn’t a big wow moment when you see something spectacular. The fall equinox this year will look like any other day, but it’s a handy way to mark the changing of the astronomical seasons. You can go around and declare, «It’s officially the first day of autumn!» How you celebrate is up to you. Here’s a suggestion: Put on your favorite sweater, go for a scenic foliage drive and sip a pumpkin spice latte to welcome fall in style.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Sept. 10, #352

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 10, No. 352

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. But if you’re a shoe junkie, you might ace the blue category. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Baseball grouping.

Green group hint: You might do this to a door.

Blue group hint: Just do it.

Purple group hint: Not real coaches, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: NL East teams.

Green group: Synonyms of slam, in basketball.

Blue group: Nike shoes.

Purple group: Actors who played football coaches.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is NL East teams. The four answers are Atlanta, Miami, New York and Philadelphia.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is synonyms of slam, in basketball. The four answers are drunk, flush, jam and stuff.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Nike shoes. The four answers are Blazer, Cortez, Pegasus and Shox.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is actors who played football coaches. The four answers are Pacino, Thornton, Washington and Winkler.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 10

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Sept. 10, No. 556

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has a fun, timely theme. Once you figure out the topic, the answers come easily. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Keep it classy.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: School days.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

HOLE, DOLE, SCENE, SCENES, CURE, CURES, SLIM, SLIME, SLIMED, NICE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

MATH, LUNCH, MUSIC, ENGLISH, SCIENCE, RECESS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SCHOOLSCHEDULE. To find it, look for the S that’s the first letter on the far left on the top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Rewards Smartwatch Owners’ Patience

The high-performance Apple smartwatch gets the upgrade people have been waiting for.

If you’re more comfortable hiking mountain trails or gliding under water, or you just prefer a chunky smartwatch with days of battery life, your patience over the last couple of years has paid off.

Today, Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra 3, the next generation of its high-performance smartwatch. The Ultra 3 adds a brighter, larger display, 5G cellular communication, satellite connectivity, a battery life increase of up to 42 hours and the ability to detect whether you might be suffering from hypertension.

Apple Watch Ultra fans have had to spend a while watching time pass on their Ultra-exclusive Wayfinder face. The Ultra 2 arrived in 2023, but last year Apple merely added a new Satin Black color — even as the Apple Watch Series 10 gained a better processor and adopted a screen that became the largest in the line.

Now the Ultra 3 is here to satisfy those who want the most smartwatch Apple can offer.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 costs $799 (£749, AU$1,399), with preorders starting today. The first shipments and in-store availability arrive Sept. 19.

We’re following Apple news closely to see how it compares to everything we had expected to see.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 screen size is back on top

The brilliant screen on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is now slightly larger than its predecessor, at a 422×514-pixel resolution (up from the Ultra 2’s 410×502 pixels), though the case itself hasn’t expanded. Instead, Apple has slimmed the bezel to bring the active edge of the screen closer to the frame.

Speaking of the frame, it’s now created using a 3D printing process that uses 100% recycled titanium and half the amount of raw materials as earlier generations.

The screen is also better than the Ultra 2, with an LPTO3 OLED always-on Retina display that has the same faster refresh rate introduced with the Series 10. That means you’ll see a second hand that continually updates, or an active stopwatch timer, without having to raise your wrist and engage the screen. Screen brightness when viewing from an angle has also improved, according to Apple.

Even more battery life

The Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 boasted much longer battery stamina than the regular watch, thanks to their physically larger batteries: about 36 hours of regular use, or 72 hours with low power mode on.

With the Apple Watch Ultra 3, you might forget the last time you put it onto its charger. Its larger battery and improved battery life get up to 42 hours on a charge. Continuous workouts can extend to 20 hours in low power mode while retaining full GPS and heart rate readings.

The Ultra 3 also joins the Series 10 and Series 11 by offering fast charging. Apple claims 45 minutes of charging will get the watch up to 80% full, or 75 minutes to top out at 100%. Since most people probably aren’t going to run the watch down to zero, a more realistic circumstance is being able to pop it onto a charger for just 15 minutes and gain 12 hours of battery life.

Apple says a number of factors contribute to the improved battery life in the Ultra 3: the more efficient display, larger battery and redesigned radios for 5G cellular and satellite communications. We expected a new processor as well, but surprisingly, the Ultra 3 is powered by the same S10 chip that runs the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10.

Connect to satellite services, even without an iPhone

Most phones and smartwatches are designed with the expectation that they operate in areas where cellular or Wi-Fi networks are easily available. The Apple Watch Ultra almost expects you to get lost, with that larger battery and dual-GPS location tracking. But if something unfortunate happens while you’re away from everything, you still want to be able to signal for help or keep friends alerted to your whereabouts.

The Ultra 3 now includes on-device satellite communication, which means as long as the watch has a view of the sky, it can connect to satellites. In most situations, you’d also have a satellite-capable iPhone with you, but that’s not helpful if the phone’s battery is drained. Apple says it redesigned the radios and antenna to double the signal strength.

As with the iPhone, Emergency SOS via satellite is free for two years, though Apple has not announced any pricing for the service since it was launched. Text messaging and Find My services via satellite are also available as long as you have an active cellular plan.

As for cellular connections, all configurations of the Apple Watch Ultra include cellular capabilities, and now the Ultra 3 is capable of connecting to 5G networks. It uses 5G RedCap (for «reduced capacity») technology, which delivers 5G access but without the power requirements that a device such as the iPhone can handle easily.

Health and fitness features at the forefront

As with the Apple Watch Series 11, the Ultra 3 also looks for possible hypertension, or high blood pressure, based on readings it takes during the course of a month. Apple expects its hypertension detection, currently under review by the FDA, to be available in 150 countries and regions this month.

That’s in addition to existing heart rate and ECG measuring, as well as the ability to detect blood-oxygen levels, a feature that’s been temporarily blocked in the US due to litigation (though Apple recently developed a workaround).

Apple also announced that the Sleep app will include a new Sleep Score feature to help users track and adjust sleep more easily.

When Apple announced WatchOS 26 and iOS 26, it introduced Workout Buddy, a virtual companion that provides stats and encouragement while you’re working out, such as on a bike ride, run or walk. (CNET’s Vanessa Hand Orellana got details from Apple’s team developing it.) As a watch designed for workouts, it’s natural that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 brings Workout Buddy along for the ride/run/amble.

Other health and workout features carry over from the Ultra 2, such as water resistance to 100m and scuba diving to 40m, IP6X dust resistance and durability in extreme temperature and altitude environments. It includes dual GPS (L1 and L5) radios for more precise location tracking and wayfinding.