March equinox

Illustration of astronomical calculations of northward equinox and Nowruz
UT date and time of
equinoxes and solstices on Earth[1]
event equinox solstice equinox solstice
month March June September December
year
day timeday timeday timeday time
2010 2017:322111:282303:092123:38
2011 2023:212117:162309:042205:30
2012 2005:142023:092214:492111:12
2013 2011:022105:042220:442117:11
2014 2016:572110:512302:292123:03
2015 2022:452116:382308:202204:48
2016 2004:302022:342214:212110:44
2017 2010:282104:242220:022116:28
2018 2016:152110:072301:542122:23
2019 2021:582115:542307:502204:19
2020 2003:502021:442213:312110:02

The March equinox (or Northward equinox) is the equinox on the earth when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading northward. The March equinox is the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere.

The equinox can be as early as March 19 or as late as March 21, the precise time being about 5 hours 49 minutes later in a common year, and about 18 hours 11 minutes earlier in a leap year, than in the previous year. It is the balance of common years and leap years that keeps the calendar date of the equinox from drifting more than a day from March 20 each year.

Northward equinox solar year

Main article: tropical year

The March equinox is one point in time commonly used to determine the length of the tropical year. The mean tropical year is the average of all the tropical years measured from every point along the earth's orbit.[2] In 1983 the mean March equinox fell at 1.48 AM GMT on 23 March. When tropical year measurements from several successive years are compared, variations are found which are due to nutation, and to the planetary perturbations acting on the Sun. Meeus and Savoie (1992, p. 41) provided the following examples of intervals between northward equinoxes:

time in excess of 365 days and 5 hours
mins
19851986 48 58
19861987 49 15
19871988 46 38
19881989 49 42
19891990 51 06

Constellation

The point where the horizon crosses the sun's disk at the celestial equator northwards is called the first point of Aries. However, due to the precession of the equinoxes, this point is no longer in the constellation Aries, but rather in Pisces. By the year 2600 it will be in Aquarius (some Archeoastronomers and Astrologers believe that will be the start of the approximate 2,150 years of "the Age of Aquarius", while others think it may have already started, and varying calculations in between).

Movement of the horizon in relation to the Sun

At the equinox, the sun's disk crosses the horizon directly in the east at dawn and crosses directly in the west at dusk. However, because of refraction the sun will usually appear slightly above the horizon when its "true" middle is rising or setting. For viewers at the north or south poles, the sun moves steadily just above the horizon, not obviously rising or sinking apart from the movement in "declination" (and hence elevation) of a little under a half (0.39) degree per day.

Human culture

Calendars

The Persian calendar begins each year at the northward equinox, observationally determined at Tehran.[3]

The Indian National Calendar starts the year on the day next to the vernal equinox on March 22 (March 21 in leap years) with a 30-day month (31 days in leap years), then has 5 months of 31 days followed by 6 months of 30 days.[3]

Julian calendar

The Julian calendar reform lengthened seven months and replaced the intercalary month with an intercalary day to be added every four years to February. It was based on a length for the year of 365 days and 6 hours (365.25 d), while the mean tropical year is about 11 minutes and 15 seconds less than that. This had the effect of adding about three quarters of an hour every four years. The effect accumulated from inception in 45 BC until the 16th century, when the northern vernal equinox fell on March 10 or 11.

The date in 1452 was March 11 11:52 (Julian) [4] In 2547 it will be March 20 21:18 (Gregorian) and March 3 21:18 (Julian).[5]

Commemorations

Bas-relief in Persepolis – a symbol Iranian/Persian Nowruz – on the day of an equinox, the power of an eternally fighting bull (personifying the Earth) and that of a lion (personifying the Sun) are equal.
Chichen Itza pyramid during the spring equinox – Kukulkan, the famous descent of the snake
Abrahamic tradition
West Asia
North Africa
South and Southeast Asia

According to the sidereal solar calendar, celebrations which originally coincided with the vernal equinox now take place throughout South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia on the day when the sun enters the sidereal Aries, generally around 14 April.

East Asia
Europe
Modern culture

References

  1. United States Naval Observatory (2010-06-10). "Earth's Seasons: Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion, 2000-2020".
  2. http://individual.utoronto.ca/kalendis/leap/Solar-Year-Length-Variations.pdf
  3. 3.0 3.1 Dr. Irv Bromberg, University of Toronto, Canada. "The Lengths of the Seasons". Individual.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
  4. Ivan Smith (2002-05-10). "Vernal Equinox, 1452 - 1811". Ns1763.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
  5. Ivan Smith (2002-05-10). "Vernal Equinox, 2188-2547". Ns1763.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
  6. Cooley, Keith (2001). "Keith's Moon Facts". Hiwaay.net personal pages.
  7. "Navroz". The Ismaili. Islamic Publications Limited. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  8. "With Spring comes the Baha'i New Year". Bahai.us. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  9. "Disablót". Nationalencyklopedin (Swedish).
  10. "World Citizens Day - World Unity Day". Consultative Assembly of the Peoples Congress (2007).
  11. "Annapolis Welcomes Spring by Burning Socks". First Coast News.
  12. Rey, Diane. "Hillsmere Joins in Sock Burning Tradition". Annapolis, MD: The Capital. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  13. Gander, Kashmira (2014-03-20). "Spring equinox 2014: First day of spring marked by Google Doodle". The Independent (independent.co.uk). Retrieved 2014-03-20.

See also

External links