Photo of the Day
Autumn arrives in Denali
Tuesday 22 September 2026
The September equinox falls at 00:05 UTC on 23 September 2026, the evening of the 22nd across the Americas.
Red and yellow autumn colour on a mountainside in Denali National Park, Alaska, where boreal forest gives way to tundra. This far north the colour comes early; by the equinox, late on 22 September Alaska time, the display is already fading.
Fun facts
- At the equinox, day and night are nearly equal everywhere on Earth, and the Sun rises due east and sets due west. source ↗
- The red in autumn leaves comes from pigments the plant makes fresh in autumn; the yellow was there all summer, hidden by chlorophyll. source ↗
- Near the tree line, open woodland gives way to tundra shrubs such as willow, blueberry and dwarf birch, and plants stop growing altogether at only about 2,290 metres (7,500 feet). source ↗
- Denali, federally renamed Mount McKinley in 2025, is the tallest mountain in North America at 6,190 metres (20,310 feet). source ↗
- Image
- National Park Service
- Licence
- Public domain
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons