What term describes times when the Sun is directly above the equator?

What term describes times when the Sun is directly above the equator?

• A. Solstices
• B. Equinoxes
• C. Zeniths
• D. Ecliptics

Answer: (B)

Times when the Sun is directly above the equator are called equinoxes. This happens twice a year as the Sun’s apparent path crosses the celestial equator, so the Sun’s declination is 0 degrees. On an equinox, day and night are approximately equal in length, and the dates are around March 20–21 and September 22–23. This is different from solstices, which are the Sun’s farthest positions north or south of the equator and mark the longest and shortest days. The term zenith refers to the point directly overhead at a specific location, not a time of year, and ecliptics describes the Sun’s path across the sky, not a particular event.

Times when the Sun is directly above the equator are called equinoxes. This happens twice a year as the Sun’s apparent path crosses the celestial equator, so the Sun’s declination is 0 degrees. On an equinox, day and night are approximately equal in length, and the dates are around March 20–21 and September 22–23. This is different from solstices, which are the Sun’s farthest positions north or south of the equator and mark the longest and shortest days. The term zenith refers to the point directly overhead at a specific location, not a time of year, and ecliptics describes the Sun’s path across the sky, not a particular event.