What is the spring equinox?
Bring on March 20th, 2021! You may have heard that the spring equinox is the official first day of spring, and it’s true that this auspicious event traditionally marked the start of spring for many different cultures, as well as the start of the new year in ancient Indian and Persian calendars. Even today, the spring, or “vernal” equinox is often used to indicate the first day of spring, but what it really signifies is the astronomical start of spring, as opposed to the meteorological one. Meteorological seasons are grouped by months, based on weather and temperature shifts, and meteorologists and climatologists agree that the first real day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere should be March 1st.
So what is the spring equinox? An equinox is the moment in time and space when the sun is positioned directly above the Earth’s equator, which happens just twice a year on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. In March (usually the 20th or 21st), the sun crosses the equator from south to north, bringing warmth and light back to the Northern Hemisphere, and plunging the Southern Hemisphere into its fall and winter darkness. In September (around the 22nd or 23rd), the sun crosses back from south to north, heralding the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, and the start of spring in the Southern one.
The word “equinox” comes from the Latin for “equal” and “night,” because as the sun crosses the equator (Earth’s midline point) the hours of daylight and nighttime are very nearly equal. The equinoxes are the only time when the sun rises directly due East and sets directly due West for everyone on Earth. For more March madness, check out these bizarre facts about the calendar’s third month.
The post 11 Things You Never Knew About the Spring Equinox appeared first on Reader's Digest.
