The change will be subtle, without fanfare, a significant, but barely undetectable astronomical phenomenon.
It's the change in season today -- from summer to fall -- at exactly 11:19 am all over British Columbia.
This year, it does and doesn't feel like fall.
As with every year, many people peg fall with Labour Day, the last long weekend of summer before the kids go back to school and we return to our workaday-world routine.
Even Environment Canada places the start of so-called meteorological fall at Sept. 1 so weather data can be collected and compared in tidy seasonal three-month increments with Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 being autumn.
Plus, this year most of BC has had record-breaking hot late summer weather, so it didn't feel like fall was imminent.
But, what we're talking about here and now is astronomical fall, the universe-dictated season determined by the sun's centre crossing the celestial equator creating an equal amount of day and night.
It can happen at any point between Sept. 21 and Sept. 24 as the sun rises due east and sets due west.
And that moment, for 2025, as previously mentioned, happens to be 11:19 am today.
Just to confuse the discussion, because of the sun's refraction of light, it might not be exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
For example, in Kelowna, the sun will rise today at 6:45 am and set at 6:54 pm, providing a bonus 12 hours, 9 minutes and 53 seconds of daylight.
Looking ahead, astronomical winter will arrive Dec. 21, which will make this fall last 89 days, 20 hours and 43 minutes.
Some people are partial to a particular season -- with summer likely the favourite because of the warm weather, long days, beach days, flowers and vacations are so fun and elating.
But, fall certainly has its fans who prefer the cooler weather, retreating to home, baking and snuggling up to watch TV.
Either way, psychologists, life coaches and gurus may tell you a change of season is the perfect marker to take stock of your life, amplify what's good about it and shed the bad.
So reflect, appreciate, grab a pumpkin spice latte and welcome fall.
Thumbnail photos by Brigitte Tohm and Aaron Burden on Unsplash
