Autumn equinox is coming up - what happens during the autumn equinox? When do the clocks go back in 2025?

The autumn equinox will occur at the start of next week.

Here’s all you need to know about the autumn equinox 2025, including what happens during the autumn equinox and exactly when it will take place.

What happens during the autumn equinox?

Royal Museums Greenwich say the Earth is tilted on its axis and this means that the Sun illuminates the northern or southern hemisphere more depending on where the Earth is along its orbit.

However, on the day of the equinox, the tilt of Earth's axis is at a right angle to the Sun, meaning the Sun will illuminate the northern and southern hemispheres equally and day and night will be around the same length.

After the equinox, the northern hemisphere will move into longer nights than days.

The autumn equinox paves the way for increased chances to see the Northern Lights for those in high northern hemisphere latitudes. According to NASA, the equinoxes are prime time for the aurora borealis, and geomagnetic activities are more likely in the spring and autumn than in the summer or winter.

When is the autumn equinox in 2025?

This year, the autumn equinox will occur on September 22 at 7.20pm. The autumn equinox marks the start of astronomical autumn, which will end on December 21.

When do the clocks go back in 2025?

This year, the clocks will go back on October 26 at 2.00am, meaning we’ll get an extra hour in bed. The next clock change after this will be on March 29 2026 when they’ll jump forward by one hour at 1.00am.