Happy Spring Equinox!
Today’s Doodle welcomes the spring equinox, a celestial event which marks the beginning of spring in many cultures. The term comes from the Latin equi, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. The earth has seasons because the planet is tilted on its axis, which results in each hemisphere receiving more direct light at opposite times of the year. But on the equinox, the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun. In other words, people all over the world experience a day and night of equal length — almost exactly 12 hours.
This year’s seasonal Doodle series protagonist, Quinn, is strumming a pleasant tune to coax a mysterious creature out of hiding. With a mild breeze and beautiful flowers, would it be, could it be, spring?
Doodle by Sophie Diao
Early concepts and drafts of the Doodle below
For the Northern Hemisphere, Tuesday, March 20, marks the vernal, or spring, equinox — the first day of spring.
The National Weather Service shared this image from space of the Earth just before “the sun crossed the equator,” or just before the start of spring. For those living north of the equator — the imaginary latitude line that marks the middle of the Earth — the days will begin to get longer.
What does that mean?
Equinoxes happen twice per year (the vernal and autumnal equinox) when the sun crosses over the equator. During an equinox the length of day and night of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are nearly the same. (The word equinox means “equal night”.)
Why does this happen?
“Earth’s axis is an imaginary pole going right through the center of Earth from ‘top’ to ‘bottom,'” NASA explains. “Earth spins around this pole, making one complete turn each day. That is why we have day and night, and why every part of Earth’s surface gets some of each.”
We have seasons because Earth’s axis is on a tilt, and that tilt “always points in the same direction,” according to NASA. So as Earth rotates around the sun, during part of the year, the North Pole tilts towards the sun, and for half of the year the South Pole tilts towards the sun. Thus, causing our seasons (summer in the Northern Hemisphere when the North Pole is tilting towards the sun, and summer for the Southern Hemisphere when the South Pole is tilting towards the sun).
On an equinox, “the tilt of the Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the Sun’s rays,” according to Time and Date. After this vernal equinox, the Northern Hemisphere will begin to experience the sun’s rays more directly, hence spring and summer!
Though, for some in the Northern Hemisphere who are preparing for Winter Storm Toby, it may not feel like spring just yet.
AS THE days began to get slightly longer, many of us had been wondering when we could finally herald the arrival of spring.
March 20 marked the Spring Equinox - but does this mean winter has officially finished and is it the same thing as the Vernal Equinox? Here's what you need to know...
Getty Images Are you craving warmer temperatures? Weather will take a turn for the better now...
When is the Spring Equinox?
Good news for those counting down the days until warmer weather - the 2018 spring equinox is here!
This is the time when the sun passes the celestial equator and days become longer - no more going to work in pitch darkness.
For some March 20 marks the first official day of spring - but meteorologists argue that it's actually March 1.
The Met Office tend to use the meteorological seasons, these are based on the annual temperature cycle and the state of the atmosphere.
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What is the Vernal Equinox?
The Vernal Equinox is another name given to the Spring Equinox and labels the March Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the March Equinox is called the Autumnal Equinox.
In September the equinoxes are labelled vice versa – the Northern Hemisphere experiencing an Autumnal Equinox and the Southern Hemisphere having their Vernal Equinox.
The equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.
It is at this time that the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of astronomical spring.
Getty Images The Spring Equinox finally came after months of winter
When date does the Vernal Equinox fall on in March?
The 2018 Vernal Equinox, is the same thing as the Spring Equinox and falls on March 20.
The different seasons are caused by the Earth rotating around the Sun.
The way the Earth rotates means that certain areas of the globe are tilted towards the Sun while other parts are tilted away from it.
This means there are different levels of sunlight reaching each part of the globe, causing the seasons.
The March Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere kicks off the start of spring, marking longer and hopefully warmer days.
To celebrate the joyous end to the miserable grey of winter, robotic space telescope service Slooh focused its telescopes on the Equinox sun this evening.
You can now relive this moment in the YouTube stream below, which started just before the equinox at 4.15pm GMT.
The date of the Spring Equinox is a fickle thing to pinpoint and shifts from year to year.
