Pull out your sweaters and drink up your pumpkin spice lattes, folks — Google wants you to remember that Wednesday is the first day of fall in the Earth’s Northern hemisphere, also known as the September or autumnal equinox, and has created a new Doodle to mark the occasion.
While some meteorologists consider Sept. 1 to be the first day of fall, the autumnal equinox is how it is defined by astronomy. This year’s equinox takes place on Sept. 23 at 4:21 a.m. Eastern time.
So what is the autumnal equinox, exactly? According to the Washington Post, it’s when the sun lines up directly above the Earth’s equator, resulting in almost every place on Earth experiencing approximately 12 hours of daylight and darkness, with some caveats.
The new Google Doodle, created by California-based animator and artist Kirsten Lepore, showcases a perky little squirrel hiding behind some classic autumnal squashes, placed artfully to resemble the Google logo.
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