The spring equinox of 2023 falls on today, prompting many to herald the arrival of spring in the UK.
However, this can cause confusion for people who assumed that the season started in early March (albeit without regard to weather conditions).
So who is right, if anyone? And why are there different ways to calculate the start of spring? And what exactly is an equinox? Here’s everything you need to know.
When is the first day of spring?
There are two main ways to calculate the first day of spring, and it depends on whether you are using astronomical or meteorological definition of the seasons.
The simpler and perhaps more traceable of the two is the weather system.
This divides the year into four seasons of three full months each based on the Gregorian calendar, making it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.
This is how spring begins every year March 1 (which fell on a Wednesday in 2023) and lasts from April to May 31, after which summer begins on June 1 and lasts until the end of August.
The astronomical season is less straightforward – it depends on the date of the vernal equinox, which means that the date falls later and may vary slightly from year to year.
In 2023, the spring equinox (also called the vernal equinox) will occur. Monday, March 20, 21:24..
This is by far the most common date for this phenomenon, although it can occur anytime between the 19th and 21st of the month.
The astronomical spring then lasts until the summer solstice, which falls on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.
However, according to the Royal Observatory: “In fact, there are no fixed and fast criteria for determining the start of each season; For example, the beginning of spring may be the date when the first daffodils bloom or the first birds build their nests.
“Not only is the data for this extremely difficult to pinpoint, but it also varies quite a lot across the UK, not to mention the rest of the world.”
Because the equinoxes are solstices, they are “well-defined dates,” the observatory adds, while not necessarily “official” dates for the start of the season, they are “probably as good as any other yardstick.”
What is the spring equinox?
The vernal equinox is also known as the vernal equinox, where “spring” simply means something associated with spring.
The equinoxes take their name from the Latin word for “same night” and mark the only two points in the year when the equator is closest to the sun, with both the northern and southern hemispheres sharing sunlight equally.
Theoretically, this means that everywhere on the planet there should be 12 hours of daylight and darkness on these days, although this is somewhat complicated by the Earth’s atmosphere, which affects how we see sunlight.
For six months of the year, the northern or southern hemisphere faces the sun slightly more, bringing with it warmer spring and summer temperatures.
The autumn and spring equinoxes mark the points at which the two hemispheres switch places, while the summer and winter solstices mark the sun reaching its northernmost and southernmost points.
Early civilizations considered the vernal equinox to be a reliable way to keep track of the changing seasons, and cultures now pay homage just as their ancestors once did.
In Britain, Stonehenge is the most famous meeting place for druids and pagans, who traditionally gather annually (when pandemics permit) to greet the dawn with dance and song.
Meetings are held all over the world; in El Castillo, Mexico, at the site of the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, people watch the sun cast snake shadows on the steps of the pyramid, and similar events occur in Mayan temples in Central America.
Source: I News
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