The spring equinox is here
Randy Mann.
JAKE PARRISH/Press
On Tuesday, March 19, at 8:06 p.m. PST, spring will officially arrive across the North American continent. The date is also known as the spring equinox, and this occurs at the exact same moment across the globe. This is also the astronomical beginning of fall for residents in the Southern Hemisphere. The word “equinox” comes from the Latin words meaning “equal night.”
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, we have four seasons because the Earth is tilted on its axis by approximately 23.5 degrees. As we move into April and May, the daylight hours become noticeably longer and during the summer, our planet is tilted toward the sun, resulting in longer daylight hours and a higher sun angle. During the equinoxes, the first day of spring and the first day of fall, our planet is positioned on the orbital plane where it is not tilted toward or away from the sun.
Although the equinox means that the Earth will experience exactly 12 hours of day and night, the reason the times are not exactly 12 hours apart on the first day of spring and fall is complex. Our location in a particular time zone, elevation and the fact that the sun is not a singular point in space are some of the explanations.
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