The first day of spring is here! Reuters
The spring equinox is off to an exciting start. The first day of
spring for the Northern Hemisphere started with a total solar
eclipse visible in the northern Atlantic while Europe, North
Africa and North Asia were treated to a partial solar eclipse. The
equinox is full of traditions, so let's take a look at some of its
facts and trivia.
What Is The Spring Equinox?
The spring equinox is when the sun crosses the celestial equator
and Earth's tilt -- relative to the sun -- is zero, the Weather
Channel explains. The sun rises due east and sets due west,
EarthSky reports. The vernal equinox signals the first day of
spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn for the Southern
Hemisphere. If you were standing on the equator, you would be
able to see the sun pass directly overhead. The spring equinox
also means longer days and shorter nights for the Northern
Hemisphere and shorter days for the Southern Hemisphere.
While Northerners will be saying hello to spring, Southerners will
be greeting the fall. The vernal equinox happens at the same
time, regardless of where you live. At 22:45 Universal Time,
which is 6:45 p.m. EDT (3:45 p.m. PDT), the sun will cross the
imaginary celestial equator to mark the vernal equinox.
Equinox means "equal night," and that's technically true with
some caveats. We're able to see the sun rise before it rises and
after it sets, due to the way Earth's atmosphere bends light, the
Farmer's Almanac explains. "Daytime begins the moment any
part of the sun is over the horizon, and it is not over until the
last part of the sun has set. If the sun were to shrink to a
starlike point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and
fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights,'" George Greenstein,
an astronomer formerly with the Farmer's Almanac, said.
Can You Really Balance An Egg Or Broom During The Spring
Equinox?
Of course! But, you don't have to wait until the vernal equinox to
put your balancing skills to the test. There's nothing special
about the equinox that adds to the balancing property of an egg
or broom, Snopes explained. To properly balance an egg or broom,
it's about founding the right shape and patience. Finding a smooth
egg without many bumps will work for such a purpose, while a
broom with even-length bristles will be ideal for you balancing
purposes.