The first day of spring this year will be March 20 at 6:45pm EDT. Also called the vernal equinox, the spring equinox indicates the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night”. This suggests that during the equinox there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. While there is a time each spring when daylight and darkness hours are equal, it usually happens before the spring equinox.
While the spring equinox is the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it also is the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. In turn, the autumnal equinox in the north (in September) is the first day of spring south of the equator.
The only times the sun passes directly overhead is during the spring or autumnal equinox directly on the equator. These two equinoxes are also the only time the sun rises due east and sets due west. At this time, the Earth's axis points neither at, nor away from the Sun.
With spring comes the revival of vegetation and wildlife, the reappearance of birds, insects, and worms, longer daylight hours, and increased warmth.
It seems as if winter goes on forever, but spring is only one month away!
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