Spring has finally sprung: The vernal equinox, the official start date for the season in the Northern Hemisphere, has arrived. The 2024 spring equinox occurred at exactly 11:06 p.m. EDT on Tuesday,March 19. But why does the day mark the start of spring and why only in the Northern Hem...
Who discovered the equinoxes? Additional resources Twice a year, day and night are about the same length in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. This phenomenon is called an equinox, which comes from the Latin words "aequus" (equal) and "nox" (night). What causes an equinox? The...
In ancient times, this was one of the Celticcross-quarter days, which marked the midway points between the (four)solstices and equinoxesof the year. As with many early holidays, May Day was rooted in agriculture. Springtime festivities filled with song and dance celebrated the sown fields sta...
The 2024 winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, happens on Saturday, Dec. 21, in the Northern Hemisphere. The celestial event signifies the first day of winter, astronomically. What is the winter solstice? Thewinter solsticeis the day each year that has the shortest period of dayligh...
Traditionally, we celebrate the first day of spring on March 21, but astronomers and calendar manufacturers alike now say that the spring season starts on March 20 in all time zones in North America.Yet spring equinox marks theofficialstart of the spring season.Fun fact: In 2024, spring fell...
Is my camera good enough to capture the northern lights? Are the northern lights dangerous? Do other planets have northern lights? Can I see the lights from the centre of a city / town? Is forecasting the northern lights months in advance possible? Equinox has great auroras Here’s the ...
How Long Is a Day on Earth? A tropical year can be measured from either thevernalorautumnalequinox to the next one, or from theSummeror thewintersolstice to the next one. On timeanddate.com, we calculate a tropical year from theMarch equinoxto the next March equinox (see table below)....
The equinoxes happen in March (about March 21) and September (about September 23).These are the days when the Sun is exactly above the Equator, which makes day and night of equal length. Encyclopædia Britannica, ...
The first question:Are day and night actually equal on the days of the equinox? Answer:Day and night are not literally equal on the days of the autumnal equinox or the spring equinox, it depends on where you live. On the day of...
Also known as the Persian New year, it commences on the vernal equinox, known as the first day of spring (often March 21st). Iranians still practice “khooneh tekouni” or “shaking the house” prior to Norouz. This ritual house clean up is the prototype of spring cleaning, where the ...