Today—at 3:20 pm Eastern—we experience the Autumnal Equinox, that moment when the Earth's "tilt" toward the Sun is dead-even with the Equator. As a result, the night and day will be equally long today. As we move forward into the Autumn and Winter, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth (where the U. S. is located) will tilt further and further from the Sun. The days in the North will be shorter and the temperatures will be colder (since that hemisphere is further from the heat of the Sun). Conversely, people in the Southern Hemisphere will enjoy longer days and shorter nights as their part of the World spends more time closer to the Sun.
The Earth "wobbles" on its axis as it circles around the Sun. Twice a year—at the Autumnal and the Vernal Equinoxes—the day and night are equal in length ("Equinox" means "Equal Night"). Between those equinoxes the days lengthen and shorten and then the nights lengthen and shorten. This never-ending cycle of the seasons allows us to plan and predict human activity to a fair degree.
This vase, made in Holland in the 1920's or 1930's, is decorated with a shoulder-wreath of hand-painted Autumnal leaves. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248