A Season for Change: The Equinox and Solstice Quiz

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, usually occurring around June 21. On that day, Earth is positioned in its orbit so that the North Pole is leaning most toward the sun. Locations north of the equator will have more than 12 hours of daylight. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually occurring around December 21 in the northern hemisphere.

Twice a year, the sun finds its temporary home directly over the equator, leaving Earth with relatively equal amounts of day and night. In fact, the word equinox is literally Latin for "equal night."

The autumnal equinox lands on or around September 22 every year, and is also the beginning of the annual opportunity to take in the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. This period continues to the end of October.

It's been decades since Uranus had a summer solstice, and Uranus' northern hemisphere isn't due to have another one until 2030. This is because the planet boasts an axial tilt of 98 degrees! By comparison, the Earth tilts on a 23.5 degree axis, which is how we get those four wonderful seasons.

Gravitational forces exerted by the sun and moon cause planet Earth to wobble, and as it wobbles, the sun's relationship with the zodiac calendar changes. Before 68 B.C.E., the sun used to line up with Aires on the spring equinox. Now, it's Pisces. By 2567, the sun will line up with the constellation Aquarius.

The super-long shadow phenomenon occurs during the winter solstice because the sun is at its lowest arc across the sky. Peak time for shadow-length testing is noon!

The longest day of the year gives everyone plenty of time to contemplate love and getting busy. Sweden typically sees a baby boom nine months after the date, and much of Eastern Europe believe it is a day to fall in love.

The Maya specifically designed and constructed the pyramid to make it appear that a snake slithers down its side during the two equinoxes. In reality, it's just a well-positioned shadow.

The rationale behind this urban legend is that the sun's gravitational pull somehow causes these items to stand on end, but in reality the feat can be accomplished at any day or time with enough practice.