March 20, Spring Equinox

The Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox heralds the beginning of spring, a time of rebirth and hope. The Spring Equinox is technically on March 20, sometimes March 21.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox or vernal equinox) occurs when the Sun crosses the equator line, heading north. This event marks the start of the spring season in the northern half of the globe. The North Pole begins to lean toward the sun again. Day and night have approximately the same length.

At the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays equally. Night and day are often said to be equal in length. In fact, the word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).

For the next celestial event, the Summer Solstice, I will be in Fairbanks, AK attending the Midnight Summer festival and enjoying 24-hours of daylight.

This post is dedicated to my father, Harold Rosen, who loved the Spring Equinox as well as the summer and winter solstices.