Across :1 : A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats (4)
3 : A chamber within which piston moves (8)
9 : The warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox (plural) (7)
10 : An upward slope or grade (as in aroad) (5)
11 : A parent of your father or mother (12)
14 : Take in food (3)
16 : Any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange (plural) (5)
17 : Become or make darker (3)
18 : Take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to (12)
21 : A metric unit of capacity equal to the volume of 1 kilogram of pure water at 4 degrees centigrade and 760 mm of mercury (or approximately 1.76 pints) (5)
22 : A wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately (7)
23 : A cloth covering for a wound or sore (8)
24 : A circular segment of a curve (4)
Down :
1 : Be of different opinions (8)
2 : A punctuation mark used to indicate the separation of elements within the grammatical structure of a sentence (5)
4 : An affirmative (3)
5 : Advancing in amount or intensity (12)
6 : Wander from a direct course or at random (7)
7 : Any loose flowing garment (4)
8 : The office that serves as the administrative centre of an enterprise (12)
12 : Any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt (5)
13 : Form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case (8)
15 : A building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented (7)
19 : A visual representation (5)
20 : Run away quickly (4)
22 : A truck with an enclosed cargo space (3)
The equinox arise as the moments when the duration of the day is equal to the duration of the night. That corresponds precisely at the time where the sun finds itself with the top and in the plan of the equator. This phenomenon occurs twice per annum. The vernal equinox takes place towards March 20 and the autumnal equinox around September 22.
For others e.g. Philippines : March 21 and September 23.
