What do the terms equinox and solstice represent?

Answer 1

Equinoxes are the two points among the stars where the sun's apparent annual path

crosses the celestial equator.

Solstices are the two points among the stars where the sun's apparent annual path

reaches its extremes, north and south of the celestial equator.

Answer 2

Both solstices and both equinoxes are points on the map of the stars.

The four points are spaced 90 degrees apart, around the route that the sun

appears to follow through the stars in the course of a year. The solstices are the

two points of the sun's extreme excursions north and south, and the equinoxes

are the points where the sun is exactly midway between its extremes, on the

Celestial Equator.

Answer 3

You're talking about celestial mechanics.

Due to the 23' tilt of the Earth, the apparent path the sun takes (from rise to set) changes throughout the year.

If one keeps tracks (or takes pictures) of the sun's position when it rises and when it sets--with respect to hills, houses, etc..., over the course of a year, the sun will appear to rise further North (still in the East, but East-Northeast) until June 21st. On June 21, this northward motion stops (Sol-stice {sun stop}). It also appears to set further North, in the Western sky.

The opposite is true as we approach December 21st: the sun appears to rise and set further and further south (rises East-Southeast, sets West-Southwest).

Halfway between these dates of Solstices, we have the Equinoxes (equal nights: day length = night length). These are around March 21st and September 21st for the Vernal and Autumnal equinoxes.

If you lived near the Earth's equator, on these days, you would notice the night is 12 hours long, as is the day.

Without the tilt, Earth's weather would be pretty much the same throughout the year, without any seasons to speak of.

Answer 4

The equinox is when direct rays of the sun are hitting the equator, and day/night is equal all over the world. The solstice occurs 6 months on either side of this when direct rays strike 23.5 degrees north or south. This creates the largest difference in insolation among the hemispheres.

Answer 5

The days are longest at one of the solstices, and shortest at the other solstice.