The Equinox

The Equinox is the day where the sun passes directly over the equator in its Northward and Southward movements between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This topic is often used in discussions as evidence in favor of a Round Earth. Round Earth proponents have popularly made two claims for this day:

- The sun will rise from the east on this day for all locations on earth - The earth will experience equal times of day and night

We find, however, both of these claims to be untrue.

The sun does not rise from the east for all locations on earth. It is admitted by academia that the sun is often displaced by several sun diameters from east on this day, with an allegation that it is only from the equator where the sun rises from the east.

Further, it is admitted by academia that equal times of day and night do not occur for this day all over the earth. The day of equal day and night is location and time specific. The period of equal day and night does not occur until several days after or before the equinox and, for some locations, the period of equal day and night does not occur for a time period measured in weeks away from the day of the equinox.

Dictionary Definition
Oxford Dictionary defines the Equinox as:

equinox/ˈɛkwɪnɒks//ˈiːkwɪnɒks/ noun "The time or date (twice each year) at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, when day and night are of equal length (about 22 September and 20 March)."

Origin Late Middle English: from Old French equinoxe or Latin aequinoctium, from aequi- ‘equal’ + nox, noct- ‘night’.

The Claim
It is claimed that the sun rises from due east for everywhere on earth. From the astronomy website earthsky.org we read the following (Archive):

Equinox Sunrise Not from the East
From The Permaculture Research Institute (Archive) we read the following:

Russel D. Sampson of the University of Alberta informs us that the sun does not actually rise due east on the equinox, and is displaced from the east by multiple sun-diameters. Inventive special pleading is therefore invoked, attributing the inability of prediction to meet observation to "refraction":

Astronomical Refraction and the Equinox Sunrise (Archive)

We note that, while the failure of this prediction to meet reality is acknowledged, and remarks to the nature of 'only at the equator' are given, no observations of the sun at the equator are referenced.

The Claim
It is claimed that this day is a special day which receives equal day and night. The very name equinox, indeed, means 'equal day and night'.

This myth is prevalent at many institutes. From the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (Archive) we read:

Approximate Date of "Equal Day and Night"
Ancient Observatories - Timeless Knowledge by Deborah Scherrer, Stanford Solar Center Link to Paper

In 2015 Deborah Scherrer of the Standford Solar Center provided a document titled "Ancient Observatories - Timeless Knowledge." On page 39 we see the following:



Addendum
Like with so much else in the model, the refraction argument is used as a sweeping rebuttal to anyone who sees the sun for longer than it should be, shorter than it should be, or as a rebuttal to anyone who sees it rise from a location where it should not rise from. The Round Earth Theory is unable to be justified with a prediction that fits reality.