When exactly is the vernal (spring) equinox 2010?”
The March equinox, the official beginning of spring season in the northern hemisphere, is here. The equinox occurred Saturday at 17:32 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), making the first day of spring. Called by names like vernal equinox, spring equinox, or March equinox, the day signals the end of winters and the beginning of warmer and longer days ahead. Understanding the phenomenon The March equinox, which occurs approximately on March 20 or 21, is the time when days and nights are equally long, meaning that there are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. This is due to the fact that the sun is vertically above the point on the Equator. During this time, the sun spends equal time “above and below the horizon at every location on the Earth.” The vernal equinox that marks the start of spring in the northern hemisphere also signifies the beginning of autumn in the southern hemisphere. Equinox occurs twice a year, March 20 or 21, and Sept. 22 or 23. Celebrating the equin
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the Sun being vertically above a point on the Equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name “equinox” is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long. It may be better understood to mean that latitudes +L and -L north and south of the equator experience nights of equal length. The word is also used for the same event happening on other planets and in setting up a celestial coordinate system; see equinox (celestial coordinates). At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may den
The Vernal Equinox Saturday March 20 2010 – After what has been known as a year of especially harsh weather around the globe, it appears that all that will be coming to an end on March 20, when the Vernal Equinox arrives. Those who live near the north pole are wiping the sweat off their foreheads, as they eagerly await the arrival of the vernal equinox. The Vernal Equinox signals the end of the harsh weather, and the beginning of spring. It is a natural phenomenon that occurs once per year, every year. It is the only time of the year where the amount of daylight during the day, and darkness during the night will be completely equal. It is regarded as a sign that spring is coming, but is not at all related to the recent spring ahead of Daylight Savings Time.
