The first day of fall 2020 is nearly here.
The arrival of autumn means cooler, shorter days, the annual explosion of color from fall foliage, and the inevitable clock change that comes with the end of daylight saving time.
Fall 2020 in the northern hemisphere begins on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, with the autumnal equinox.
What is the autumnal equinox?
Tuesday’s equinox will happen at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, when the sun crosses the equator, heading south. It is one of two that happen every year, on the first days of spring and fall.
On the equinoxes, hours of daylight and darkness are nearly (but not exactly) equal. They are the midpoints between the solstices, which happen on the first days of winter and summer – when daylight hours are at their minimum and maximum respectively.
The days will continue to get shorter until the 2020 winter solstice on Dec. 21, which is also the first day of winter.
The sun peeks through a tree, illuminating it's colorful leaves along North New Street in Bethlehem in 2017.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com
Fall foliage 2020
Fall foliage in Pennsylvania and New Jersey should peak in late October, starting in the north and higher elevations, according to various forecasts.
In the Poconos, fall colors in the northernmost counties bordering New York are expected to peak around Oct. 16, with the southernmost reaches in Carbon and Monroe counties achieving their best foliage around Oct. 24, according to poconomountains.com, which has live cameras to peep on foliage before taking a day trip. For New Jersey, the website njhiking.com says average peak color will be between Oct. 19 and 29.
The foliage forecasts can change based on conditions over the next few weeks. AccuWeather’s fall forecast says that expected prolonged warmth in the Northeast will delay peak color about two weeks compared to normal.
But why do leaves change color? Chlorophyll is a green pigment in most leaves that helps the tree grow. But as the days shorten, veins in the tree close and chlorophyll is no longer replenished. Its green color fades and other pigments become visible.
The Bixler's clock in Easton's Centre Square will need to be fall back an hour with other clocks at 2 a.m. Nov. 1 when daylight saving time ends.Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com
When does daylight saving time end in 2020?
The annual clock change will happen at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1., when daylight saving time ends and we fall back one hour.
Daylight saving time is commonly -- and wrongly -- attributed to farmers. But it was really established as a way to conserve energy with an extra hour of sunlight in the long summer evenings, though its current effectiveness is debatable. It has continued with the support of business groups that say more daylight after work promotes commerce.
Daylight saving time lasts from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. That means most of the U.S. spends about two-thirds of the year in daylight saving time, as opposed to standard time.
A full moon rises over Bethlehem through clouds and haze in July. There will be two full moons in October. The second, a blue moon, will appear on Halloween.Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com
The next blue moon in 2020
Fall 2020 will also bring us a rare Halloween blue moon. A blue moon, by one definition, is the second full moon in one month.
The harvest moon, the first full moon after the equinox, will be Thursday, Oct. 1. That sets up the blue moon, which will be Saturday, Oct. 31 – Halloween night.
(Can’t see the full moon calendar? Click here.)
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Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com.
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