The words equinox and solstice refer to four specific days in the year—one in each of the four seasons. ... The summer and winter solstices occur in June and December. These terms are not capitalized.

Should autumnal equinox be capitalized?

Don't Capitalize Terms Like 'Spring Equinox' and 'Fall Equinox' And the names of all these significant astronomical days are all lowercase. You don't capitalize terms like “fall equinox” and “summer solstice.” The solstices, by the way, are the opposite of the equinoxes.

Is equinox a proper noun?

Guideline 1: Lowercase general references to seasons, solstices, and equinoxes unless they start a sentence. ... Let's go hiking in celebration of the autumn equinox! Guideline 2: Capitalize references to seasons, solstices, and equinoxes if they're part of a proper noun.

Do you capitalize the seasons in sentences?

The seasons are not proper nouns and are therefore not normally capitalized. Of course, as with other nouns, they should be capitalized at the beginning of sentences and in titles.

What is the point of solstice?

The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol ("sun") and sistere ("to stand still"), because at the solstices, the Sun's declination appears to "stand still"; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun's daily path (as seen from Earth) pauses at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction.

Equinoxes | National Geographic

What does solstice literally mean?

Solstices. ... The solstice (combining the Latin words sol for “Sun” and sistere for “To Stand Still”) is the point where the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year and thus ancient astronomers came to know the day as one where the Sun appeared to stand still.

What is difference between solstice and equinox?

So, at the end of the day, while solstices and equinoxes are related, they happen at different times of the year. Just remember that solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year, while equinoxes occur when the day and night are equally as long.

Do you capitalize planets?

Capital decision

"Capitalize the names of planets (e.g., 'Earth,' 'Mars,' 'Jupiter'). Capitalize 'Moon' when referring to Earth's Moon; otherwise, lowercase 'moon' (e.g., 'The Moon orbits Earth,' 'Jupiter's moons'). ... Do not capitalize 'solar system' and 'universe.

Do you need to capitalize mom and dad?

In other words, capitalize words such as Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis when they are used in place of the person's name. Do not capitalize them when they follow possessive pronouns such as her, his, my, our, your.

Should directions be capitalized?

In general, when a direction is a description, it's lowercase, and when it's the name of something, it's capitalized—but there are exceptions. Sometimes directional terms such as south are capitalized and sometimes they aren't.

Are seasons capitalized Chicago style?

The Chicago Style Manual holds that the four seasons an their derivatives should be lowercased. In other words, spring, summer, fall, winter, and the words formed from them, like springtime and summertime, should never appear capitalized in your text.

Do you capitalize southern hemisphere?

Southern Hemisphere (proper noun)

Should Spring Festival be capitalized?

You have capitalized the term, so we presume that that is the precise name of the festival. You have not said whether its duration is one day or more, which can affect preposition choice.

Should the equator be capitalized?

Here the words equator, north pole and universe need no capitals, because they aren't strictly proper names. Some people choose to capitalize them anyway; this is not wrong, but it's not recommended.

Is hemisphere capitalized?

Western Hemisphere

Note that Hemisphere is also capitalized here.

Are seasons alphabetized?

Seasons, such as winter, spring, summer and fall, do not require capitalization because they are generic common nouns.

Why is Grandpa Joe capitalized?

Why is "Grandpa Joe" capitalized? It's a general version of a word. It's a proper noun. It's not a specific person's name.

Do you capitalize dad in my dad?

When used generically in a sentence such as: “my dad said to visit him,” then the word dad is lowercase because it is a generic noun. Correct: My dad is the best. However, if you are addressing your dad directly, such as when asking a question, then you should capitalize the word dad or father.

Does sister need to be capitalized?

Sister and Brother are capitalized in the same way as Doctor -- when used as honorifics or titles. These particular titles, along with "Mother" and "Father", are commonly used by religious orders. You wouldn't capitalize them (or "mom" or "dad") when used with an article or possessive pronoun.

When Should planets be capitalized?

The word “planet” is generally not capitalized since it is a common noun that refers to any planet. The only time you should capitalize “planet” is if it is used in a title such as the name of the seven-movement orchestral suite called “The Planets” by composer Gustav Holst.

Why is earth not capitalized in the Bible?

Here's why: Used in this capacity, Earth is a proper noun. While she's on our planet Earth, the meaning of the word here refers not to the planet itself, but to the soil or dirt on the ground and, as a result, should not be capitalized.

Do you capitalize sun and moon?

The MLA Style Center

We usually lowercase sun, moon, and earth, but, following The Chicago Manual of Style, when the does not precede the name of the planet, when earth is not part of an idiomatic expression, or when other planets are mentioned, we capitalize earth: The earth revolves around the sun.

What is solstice in geography?

A solstice is an event in which a planet's poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the star it orbits. ... On our planet, solstices are defined by solar declination—the latitude of the Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon.

What is a day with 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness called?

September Equinox (Approximately September 22-23)

There are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness at all points on the earth's surface on the two equinoxes.

What are the four solstices?

So, in the Northern Hemisphere you have: Vernal equinox(about March 21): day and night of equal length, marking the start of spring. Summer solstice (June 20 or 21): longest day of the year, marking the start of summer. Autumnal equinox(about September 23): day and night of equal length, marking the start of autumn.