Spring Equinox:
March 19 marked the spring or vernal equinox, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
- As Earth revolves around the Sun, there are two moments each year when the Sun is exactly above the equator.
- These moments called equinoxes occur around March 19, 20 or 21 and September 22 or 23.
- Equinox literally means “equal night,” since the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world during the equinoxes.
- The March equinox marks when the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt toward the sun, which means longer, sunnier days.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox is called the vernal equinox, because it signals the beginning of spring (vernal means fresh or new like the spring).
- The September equinox is called the autumnal equinox, because it marks the first day of fall (autumn).
- When the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt toward the sun in spring, the Southern Hemisphere starts to tilt away from the sun, signaling the start of fall.
- Thus, in the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox is called the autumnal equinox, and the September equinox is called the vernal equinox.
- While the March equinox brings later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds and dry, falling leaves in the Southern Hemisphere, while the reverse happens in the Northern Hemisphere.
