In the early morning of March 20, 2008 the sun will cross directly over the Earth’s equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox. Equinox means “equal night.” Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year on September 22 or 23; in 2008. This will be the Autumnal Equinox. Thus switching the autumnal equinox to the Northern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.