The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
This image, captured on 23 September 2024, shows the autumn equinox as seen from the Meteosat Third Generation geostationary weather satellite orbiting 36 000 km above Earth.
In the northern hemisphere, equinoxes occur twice a year: around 22 September (autumn equinox) and 20 March (spring equinox).
The autumn equinox signifies the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, when nights grow longer than days.