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• In 2012, the Northern Hemisphere's autumn equinox (Southern Hemisphere's spring equinox) falls on September 22 at 14:49 (2:49 p.m.) Universal Time. In North America, that translates to 10:49 a.m. Eastern Time, 9:49 a.m. Central Time, 8:49 a.m. Mountain Time and 7:49 a.m. Pacific Time.
• EarthSky Facebook friend Duke Marsh in New Albany, Indiana took the photo above last night - September 19, 2012. The photo shows Mars and its rival, Antares (Ant-ares), on opposite sides of the moon. Mars is just to the right of the moon, with the star Zubenelgenubi right next to Mars. Antares in the Heart of Scorpius is the brightest star on the left side of the photo. On September 20, the moon will be closer to Antares than Mars.
• Bottom line: The fastest sunsets of the year are happening now, around the time of the September equinox. On the night of September 20, 2012, the moon is between two red objects: the planet Mars and red star Antares.