Happy first day of fall! Today's teaser tips its hat to the equinox with a quick five-question trivia dash. No pencils required — just your wits. Good luck, and no peeking at the answers until you've locked in all five.
Today, September 23, marks the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Roughly how many hours of daylight and darkness does an equinox provide?
In astronomy, the equinox occurs when the sun crosses which imaginary line above Earth?
Which country's ancient monument, aligned so the sun rises precisely through its "roof-box" chamber near the winter solstice, is often (incorrectly) associated with the equinox in pop trivia — name the famous Irish passage tomb.
The word "equinox" comes from Latin roots meaning what, literally?
In the Southern Hemisphere, today's equinox marks the start of which season?
Answers
About 12 hours each of daylight and darkness (roughly equal, hence the name).
The celestial equator.
Newgrange (in County Meath, Ireland).
"Equal night" (from aequus, "equal," and nox, "night").
Spring.