Overview

• NASA pinpoints the moment the Sun crosses Earth’s equator at 2:19 p.m. EDT, ushering in astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Day and night are not exactly equal today because atmospheric refraction slightly lengthens daylight, though the Sun rises due east and sets due west, a reliable cue for finding true directions.
• Saturn reached opposition on Sept. 21, making the planet its closest and brightest of the year for prime evening viewing over the coming nights.
• Skywatchers can expect three near‑full supermoons on Oct. 6, Nov. 5 and Dec. 4, creating multi‑night stretches of brighter moonlight each month.
• Pennsylvania foresters expect earlier‑than‑usual color with a Philadelphia peak around Halloween into early November, while Audubon reports regional bird migrations peaking from late September into early October, including swarming chimney swifts and broad‑winged hawks.