Summer seems to have flown by in a rush of gruelling heatwaves as well as some good, sunny weather for us to enjoy. However, a change of season is imminent with the start of autumn looming.
The Met Office has said there are two possible dates that could mark the end of summer and beginning of autumn.
One date for the official start of autumn is based on the Earth's journey around the sun, which is different every year. The other date is fixed.
Both dates are in set to happen in September. Here's a look at when summer officially ends and how quickly it starts getting darker once the seasons change.
When does summer 2022 end?
There are two dates for when summer could end and autumn begin, according to the Met Office.
The first date is today - Thursday, September 1. This date is calculated using the meteorological system, which splits every year into four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter – meaning that each season is three months long.
Under this system, each season will also have the same start and end dates every year.
The second date on which autumn could officially start is Friday, September 23.
This is known as the autumn equinox, which is based on the astronomical calendar and refers to the Earth's axis and orbit around the sun.
The date of the equinox varies from year to year.
What is the autumn equinox?
The autumn equinox is when the day and night are both of equal lengths. It happens in September every year, when the the Northern hemisphere officially enters autumn.
After this date, the nights will begin to get longer than the days, until the spring equinox in March, when the process is reversed.
How quickly will it get dark after summer ends?
Autumn starts in September and usually lasts around three months before winter starts.
Once autumn begins, the weather gets slightly colder and the nights get darker earlier.
Each day has one less minute of daylight, which adds up to to half-hour of lost daytime as we progress through the month, culminating in the winter solstice which is the shortest day of the year.
In 2022, the winter solstice is on Wednesday December 21.
