Youll want to enjoy this weekend: Summer is making its final splash. Autumn will be taking the seasonal reins at 12:50 a.m. PDT Monday.
Also known as the September or fall equinox, the autumnal equinox arrives in North America, while the astronomical start of spring takes place in the Southern Hemisphere. Drawn from the Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night,” the equinox is that moment on the calendar when day and night get equal billing on Mother Natures stage and each is roughly the same length — at least for now.
“During the equinox, the Sun crosses what we call the celestial equator — an imaginary extension into space of Earths equator line,” according to the calendar-watchers at Almanac.com. “The equinox occurs precisely when the Suns center passes through this line. After the autumnal equinox, nights begins to grow longer than the days. This ends with the December solstice, when days start to grow longer and nights shorter.”
But enough science. Heres a by-the-numbers look at fall:
2,363: Numbers of pounds of the record-setting pumpkin at the 2017 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay. It was grown by Joel Holland of Sumner, Washington. This years annual pumpkin weigh-off is Oct. 14.
2,170: Number of pounds of 2018s winner, grown by Steve Daletas of Pleasant Hill, Oregon.
43.5: Number of acres of the Dixon Corn Maze near Sacramento back in 2007 when it was first recognized as the Guinness World Record-holding maze; its been growing in size every since.
1.50: The price, in dollars, per pound to pick Gravensteins, Pink Pearls and Macintosh apples at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville.
40: The number of years it takes a maple tree to grow before its big enough to tap for syrup, says Hillsboro Sugarworks in Starksboro, Vermont.
50: The number of gallons of sap it takes to produce one gallon of maple syrup at Hillsboro.
20-25: Average number of gallons of sap each Hillsboro tree produces each season.
4-6: Average number of weeks that their sugaring season lasts. Note: Sugaring season isnt a fall activity — it usually takes place in late winter or early spring.
30,000: Average combined weight, in pounds, of pumpkins grown per acre in California, Illinois and Texas, according to the USDA.
4.5: Pounds, annually on average, of pumpkins used per person from 2012-17 harvests, according to the USDA.
1,818.5: Number of pounds of the record-setting gourd that master pumpkin sculptor Ray Villafane famously used as a canvas for his zombie Read More – Source
