For the other half of the year, the South Pole gets more light. The tilt - possibly caused by a massive object hitting Earth billions of years ago - means that for half the year, the North Pole is pointed toward the sun (as in the picture below). The equinox, the seasons, and the changing length of daylight hours throughout the year are all due to one fact: The Earth spins on a tilted axis. Flowers will still bloom, temperatures will still rise, and sunsets will creep later and later into the evening.īelow is a short scientific guide to the equinox.
Maybe it helps to know that nature will still go on as planned. This year’s equinox comes at a tough time, with a pandemic forcing many people to stay away from the people and activities they love. (With the equinox occurring so close to midnight, I’d argue to can choose to celebrate either today or tomorrow.) This will happen at 11:49 pm Eastern on Thursday. Technically speaking, the equinox occurs when the sun is directly in line with the equator. For those south of the equator, it’s the beginning of autumn. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of spring, with daylight hours continuing to lengthen until the summer solstice in June.
The vernal equinox is upon us: On Thursday, March 19, both the Northern and Southern hemispheres will experience roughly an equal amount of daylight.