What Is The Vernal Equinox? When Will Spring Start This Year? All You Need To Know

The spring equinox of 2023 brings spring to the northern hemisphere and for the year 2023, the date is March 20. See details here

What is the spring equinox?  When will spring start this year?  All you need to know

What is the spring equinox? When will spring start this year? All you need to know

The 2023 spring equinox brings spring to the northern hemisphere, and for the year 2023, the date is March 20.

On the date of the equinox, the length of day is actually several minutes longer than darkness and symbolizes the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.

There are two times of the year when the Sun is exactly above the equator. At that time day and night have the same duration. Any of the two points in the sky where the ecliptic (the Sun’s annual path) and the celestial equator intersect.

Why does the spring equinox occur?

  • The spring equinox falls around March 20 or 21 in the northern hemisphere, when the Sun crosses the northward celestial equator.
  • While in the southern hemisphere, the equinox falls on September 22 or 23, when the Sun moves south across the celestial equator.
  • Astronomically it is defined by the seasons.
  • The spring equinox also marks the beginning of spring, which lasts until the summer solstice, which is June 20 or 21 in the northern hemisphere and December 21 or 22 in the southern hemisphere.

When will the spring equinox occur?

  • Monday, March 20, at 5:24 pm EDT (2:24 pm PDT), the spring (or vernal) equinox occurred for the year 2023.
  • Here the sun reaches one of two places where its rays shine directly toward the equator. Then it will shine equally on both halves of the Earth.
  • More precisely at that time, the sun will shine directly over the equator at a point over the Pacific Ocean, approximately 3,100 km (1,900 miles) southeast of the Hawaiian Islands.
  • When most of us were little, it always seemed like the first day of spring was March 21st, not March 20th.
  • But now, for Americans, spring begins on March 20. In fact, during the 20th century, March 21 was actually the exception rather than the rule, and the equinox fell on that day only 36 times.
  • From the years 1980 to 2102, arrives no later than March 20.

Will the date change next year?

  • Next year, spring is expected to officially begin on March 19.
  • This change in dates occurs because the Earth’s elliptical orbit changes the orientation of its axis and because our year does not contain an even number of days.
  • The vagaries of our Gregorian calendar, such as the inclusion of a leap day in century years divisible by 400, also contribute to seasonal date change. If the year 2000 had not been a leap year, this year’s equinox would occur on Tuesday (March 21), not Monday.

Spring equinox: effects

And there are also many more effects at play around the March equinox that we can all notice.

  • The March equinox brings earlier sunrises, later sunsets, and plants sprouting in the northern hemisphere.
  • South of the equator the season is the opposite. You can see later sunrises, earlier sunsets, colder winds, and dry, fallen leaves.
  • The equinoxes and solstices are caused by the Earth’s tilt on its axis and incessant motion in its orbit.

Signs of the spring equinox in nature.

  • In terms of daylight, one can notice the arc of the sun in the sky each day.
  • You will also find that you are moving north.
  • In response to the change in daylight, birds and butterflies migrate north following the path of the sun.
  • Longer days bring warmer weather.
  • Trees begin to sprout and plants begin a new growth cycle.
  • In many places, spring flowers are beginning to bloom.
  • In the southern hemisphere, the days get shorter and the nights get longer and the air feels cold.

Bottom line

The March Equinox 2023 occurred on March 20 at 21:24 UTC.

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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: ptivs2.edu.vn

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