Steve Jasiecki
Submitted by Steve Jasiecki
Today, March 20 is the first day of spring. Time to say goodbye to winter and welcome the coming warmer months.
This day marks the time of the vernal equinox, the position in Earth's orbit where the Earth experiences equal amounts of daylight and nighttime hours. Equinox is Latin for equal night.
Astronomically speaking, this is the time during Earth's orbit that the Earth is perpendicular to the sun's rays from pole to pole and the sun is directly over the equator.
Because our planet is tilted 24.4 degrees in relation to the sun, the northern and southern hemispheres receive different amounts of sunlight during our journey around the sun. The hemisphere that receives the most light experiences summer, while the hemisphere that receives the least amount of light experiences winter. There are two days when both hemispheres receive equal amounts of sunlight, the vernal and autumnal equinox, which is the first day of spring and the first day of fall.
If you are a sunrise observer, you may notice that the sun rises a little more north each day. The same is true during sunset, where the sun also sets a little further north each day. The sun will also climb higher in the sky as spring advances making for longer days.
Because of the Earth's position in its orbit, on the equinox the sun will rise 90 degrees due east. Through the rest of spring the sun will continue to rise further north till the summer solstice where it will rise 58 degrees east-northeast.
Earth's yearly trip around the sun is marked by the two solstices and the two equinoxes, the beginning of each of the four seasons. Our ancestors observed each of these days with celebrations and holidays. They are part of our heritage that we carry with us to this day.
It's safe to say that most people are happy when the first day of spring arrives as we look forward to the warmer months and longer daylight hours. The world starts to come alive as flowers bloom and leaves turn green and we get to spend more time outdoors. All of this because of a quirk in the Earth's tilt in its orbit. But whatever the reason, go celebrate and seize the day! Happy Spring!
