Today marks a subtle yet fascinating astronomical milestone: the equilux. While often overshadowed by the more widely known equinox, the equilux is the day when daylight and nighttime are nearly equal in length - about 12 hours each.

On March 17th, this balance occurs for regions between 35° and 36° North latitude, including the Maltese Islands.

Unlike the equinox, which is defined by the Sun crossing the celestial equator at a precise moment, the equilux reflects what we actually experience on Earth. Because of atmospheric refraction and the Sun’s apparent size, daylight slightly exceeds night on most days, making the equilux the true ‘equal day and night.’

From tomorrow onward, days in the Northern Hemisphere will grow longer than nights, continuing until the September equilux.

Interestingly, this pattern is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, where the equilux occurs shortly after their autumn equinox.

Did you know about this interesting fact?