Spring Fling

At 1:39 PM EST, on Saturday, March 20th we finally put a steak in the heart of our cruel winter and welcome the glories of spring. At that precise time, the direct rays of the Sun fall perpendicular on the Earth's equator. The poles point nether away or toward the Sun and we have the Vernal Equinox. Yeah!!!

So what the heck is a Vernal Equinox. Well the word Vernal comes from the Latin word vernalis which is from the Latin ver which means spring. Equinox, according to Websters, is an alteration of Latin aequinoctium, from aequi or equi noctor, nox, meaning night. Equi is equal. So we have the Vernal or Spring equal night. Vernal Equinox.

Equal night because the length of nighttime and daylight will be the same, 12 hours, on the day when the Sun and Earth are aligned just right. Check out this diagram to see what it looks like.

I found a really wordy definition from Wiki. It will make your mind go numb but it is fun to read.

At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.



Well the calendar may say that the first day of spring is Saturday but I don't believe spring really begins until they tee it up at Augusta National for the Maters.