The vernal equinox marks the beginning of astronomical spring and occurs in the Northern Hemisphere around March 20th, whereas the autumnal equinox falls around September 22nd.
Spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere on March 19 with the vernal equinox as the entire world experiences an equal amount of daylight and darkness.
For ease of recordkeeping, meteorologists and climatologists consider March 1 the first day of spring, but astronomically speaking, the Earth’s equator is aligned directly with the Sun on the vernal equinox. In 2024, that occurs March 19 at 11:06 p.m. EDT.
The start of spring depends on whether you're referring to the astronomical or the meteorological start.
(FOX Weather)
The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees off a vertical axis, and because of this tilt, the most direct sunlight is aimed at the Southern Hemisphere during our astronomical winter and at the Northern Hemisphere during our astronomical summer.
The Earth's orbit around the Sun gives our planet its four seasons.
(National Weather Service)
The two solstices and two equinoxes are simply precise moments in time when the Sun is in direct alignment with three distinct bands of latitude.
Their dates can vary by a day or two each year since it takes the Earth 365 days and 6 hours (365.25 days) to make one full revolution around the Sun, which is why we have a leap year every four years.
On the winter solstice in December, the Sun's most direct rays are positioned over the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south latitude). On June's summer solstice, the most direct rays of sunlight are in alignment with the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north latitude).
On the vernal equinox in March and the autumnal equinox in September, the equator (0 degrees latitude) is aligned directly with the Sun. Therefore, everywhere on Earth experiences an equal 12 hours of daylight and darkness because the Sun rises due east and sets due west.
In the summer, the Sun rises in the northeastern sky and sets in the northwestern sky, providing long days and short nights. The Sun reaches its highest and northernmost point in the sky at solar noon (around 1 p.m. local time due to daylight saving time) on the summer solstice. This provides the most direct solar radiation of the year, resulting in more heating of the Earth’s surface and, therefore, warmer temperatures.
In the winter, the sunrise is in the southeastern sky and the sunset is in the southwestern sky – a much shorter path across the Northern Hemisphere sky – so days are short and nights are long. The solar-noon Sun angle is the lowest and farthest south in the sky on the winter solstice. This means we have the least direct solar radiation of the year on the first day of winter, resulting in colder temperatures because there’s less heating of the Earth’s surface.
On the vernal equinox in March and the autumnal equinox in September, the equator (0 degrees latitude) is aligned directly with the Sun. Therefore, everywhere on Earth experiences an equal 12 hours of daylight and darkness because the Sun rises due east and sets due west.
If you ever hear anyone say “vernal equinox,” it means the same thing. The term equinox comes from the Latin word “equinoxium,” meaning “equality between day and night.” And vernal also comes from Latin and means “spring.”
Here's why. Spring started a little earlier than usual this year. Tuesday, March 19 at 11:06 p.m. EDT marked the vernal equinox for the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun was directly over the equator and its energy was in balance between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, according to the National Weather Service.
During the equinox, the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. This year, the alignment happens March 19 at 11:06 pm Eastern Daylight Time. The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night.
The vernal equinox, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, occurs about March 21, when the Sun moves north across the celestial equator. The autumnal equinox falls about September 23, as the Sun crosses the celestial equator going south.
It happens every March 20 or 21 (or March 19 if it's a leap year like 2024 and you are in the Eastern Time Zone or farther west). Cue the sunshine, birds, bees, and early spring flowers in the Northern Hemisphere. The spring equinox has arrived marking the first day of spring.
There are only two times of the year when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes. These events are referred to as Equinoxes.
March 21, 2024, is the Spring Equinox, a celestial event celebrated by many pagan cultures. Modern-day Pagan and Wiccan practitioners refer to the day as Ostara, the vernal equinox, and the start of spring.
The vernal equinox occurs when the sun is directly overhead of the equator. Yearly variation can cause the first day of Spring to begin on either March 19 or 20.
Does the vernal equinox fall on the same day each year? No. The first day of spring can arrive anywhere from March 19 to March 21, depending on the year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox, or vernal equinox, occurs around March 20, when the sun moves northward across the celestial equator. The autumnal equinox occurs around September 22 or 23, when the sun crosses the celestial equator going south. In the Southern Hemisphere, it's the reverse.
The vernal equinox is the point when both days and nights are of equal length in the northern and southern hemispheres. The vernal equinox is caused by the Earth's tilt and revolution. Tilt refers to how the Earth is slanted on its axis, and revolution refers to its orbit around the sun.
It's not only the first day of spring—it's also a day of magic. Folklore claims that special magnetic or energetic changes on the day of the vernal equinox make it possible to stand a raw egg on its end.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the March equinox is also called the vernal or spring equinox, which means warmer weather is coming! As the northern half of the Earth tilts more toward the sun, we get longer days and warmer temperatures.
The March equinox is known as the vernal equinox (spring equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and as the autumnal equinox (autumn equinox or fall equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere. On the Gregorian calendar, the northward equinox can occur as early as 19 March or as late as 21 March at 0° longitude.
Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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