March 21 is noted as the first full day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Spring is heralded by increasing daylight hours. That magic moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator (the equatorial line as projected into space, around the earth's circumference) means that it will spend more time above the horizon than below it. That exact moment is not always March 21st. This year it is March 20 (at 12:59PM EDT - eastern daylight time). If you read our
Winter Solstice post, you'll understand that the heavens don't set their movements to our earthly calendar. The sun will cross the celestial equator sometime on March 20 every year for the next 40 years; in 2044 the date will be March 19. We won't see an equinox on March 21st until 2102. And here's a brain-teaser: why is it that on the vernal equinox the sun rises due east and sets due west for
every location in the world? Yes, every location. The answer is at:
Everything you need to know: Vernal or spring equinox 2014.
Well, at least the the northern half of the earth will soon see stirrings of plant and animal life - and warmer weather.
But not next week. Looks like
Punxatawney Phil was right. Phil may have had his reasons, but the unseasonable weather the northeast and north central states have endured is not the result of his shadow - something called a
Rex Block has paid an unusually southern visit to the US. Meanwhile we in the southeast are
paying the price for a mild winter and a wetter-than-usual 2013.
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