When Does Fall Begin?

Posted by Kelly Whitt Sep 17, 2007

The easiest answer for when fall begins can be found in my article on the First Day of Fall. It pinpoints the start of astronomical autumn for the Northern Hemisphere and tells you why we have seasons.

Fall for some is the start of the new school year. For others, it may be breaking out jeans and socks. Or maybe it is having to fire up the furnace. (Something that I refuse to do in the month of September. I don't care that we had a night below freezing already, I'm not paying for heat yet!)

For stargazers, the return of fall might be the beginning of earlier nightfall. I don't have to put my kids to bed before the sun sets and they get to glimpse more of the heavens with me. Unfortunately it is also colder and they are less willing to hang outside after dark for that reason.

Another clue that fall is here for amateur astronomers is the return of fall constellations and the star cluster the Pleiades. Its fuzzy little mass of stars rises above the eastern horizon on fall evenings, and I know to put away my sandals and get out the jackets.

When does fall begin for you?