The vernal, or spring, equinox occurs in March for those in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox is so named because around this date the hours of darkness and daylight are nearly equal. While North America and other Northern Hemisphere countries begin spring, those south of the equator are starting fall.
Dates and times for upcoming spring equinoxes in the Northern Hemisphere:
- March 20, 2009 7:44 am EDT
- March 20, 2010 1:32 pm EDT
- March 20, 2011 7:21 pm EDT
- March 20, 2012 1:14 am EDT (March 19, 2012 10:14 pm PDT)
- March 20, 2013 7:02 am EDT
- March 20, 2014 12:57 pm EDT
Finding Precise East and West Directions
On the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west, making it a great opportunity to find the cardinal directions without a compass. Ancient calendar devices, such as Mayan temple structures, marked the location of the sun during the equinoxes and solstices.
Equinox and Equality of Day and Night
Although equinox means "equal," the hours of sunlight and darkness are not precisely equal on this date, but they are close. A combination of the Earth's atmosphere and the large size of the sun taking time to appear above and set below the horizon skews the actual date of light and darkness equality. The true date will vary from place to place. You can check your local paper for sunrise and sunset times or the USNO web site for exact times.
Balancing an Egg on the Equinox
The spring equinox is occasionally close to the date of Easter. This may have been some of the reason that the vernal equinox is often tied to the ability to balance an egg on its end. The belief that the Earth is tilted just so and that all things on this one day are "equal" have brought about a myth that the balance extends even to the ability to stand an egg on its point.
While it is an amusing endeavor to try, whether or not you can do it has nothing to do with the equinox. Your luck at standing an egg on end will be the same on any day of the year.
Spring Moves North
Gardeners often say that spring moves north 100 miles per week. You can test this theory out by corresponding to someone in the south if you are in the north, and vice versa. Notice when the tulips start to bloom where you live, measure the distance in miles between your house and your friend's, and ask them for the date when their tulips start to bloom. Satellites have captured this phenomenon of a northward moving spring. In the picture below taken on March 22, 2001, the southeast has already begun to turn green while the north still shows brown.
 |
 |
