The two times a year when Earth has twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night because the poles are not pointed towards or away from the sun are called the equinoxes.

There are two equinoxes:

* Vernal Equinox (Spring Equinox): Occurs around March 20th or 21st.

* Autumnal Equinox (Fall Equinox): Occurs around September 22nd or 23rd.

During the equinoxes, the sun shines directly on the equator, and the day and night are of equal length everywhere on Earth.