March equinox 2023: All you need to know

March equinox 2023: All you need to know
Posted by

Deborah Byrd
March 19, 2023




Happy equinox, y’all! Here are satellite views of Earth on the solstices and equinoxes, via NASA Earth Observatory.
What is it? The March equinox marks the sun’s crossing above the Earth’s equator, moving from south to north.
When is the next one? It’ll happen at 21:24 UTC (4:24 p.m. CDT) on March 20, 2023.
Note: The March equinox – aka the vernal equinox – marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. No matter where you are on Earth, the equinox brings us a number of seasonal effects, noticeable to nature lovers around the globe.
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Equal day and night on the equinox?

At the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays equally. Night and day are often said to be equal in length. In fact, the word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). For our ancestors, whose timekeeping was less precise than ours, day and night likely did seem equal. But today we know it’s not exactly so.
Read more: Are day and night equal at the equinox?

Fastest sunsets at the equinoxes

The fastest sunsets and sunrises of the year happen at the equinoxes. We’re talking here about the length of time it takes for the whole sun to sink below the horizon.
Read more: Fastest sunsets happen near equinoxes

Sun rises due east and sets due west?

Here’s another equinox phenomenon. You might hear that the sun rises due east and sets due west at the equinox. Is that true? Yes it is. In fact, it’s the case no matter where you live on Earth, with the exception of the North and South Pole. At the equinoxes, the sun appears overhead at noon as seen from Earth’s equator, as the illustration below shows. This illustration shows the sun’s location on the celestial equator, every hour, on the day of the equinox.
No matter where you are on Earth – except at the Earth’s North and South Poles – you have a due east and due west point on your horizon. That point marks the intersection of your horizon with the celestial equator: the imaginary line above the true equator of the Earth.
The sun is on the celestial equator, and the celestial equator intersects all of our horizons at points due east and due west. Voila! The sun rises due east and sets due west.
Read more: Sun rises due east and sets due west



The day arc of the sun, every hour, at the equinox, as seen on the (imaginary) celestial sphere surrounding Earth. At the equinox, the sun is directly above Earth’s equator. Image via Tau’olunga/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5).

More March equinox effects

And there are also plenty more effects in play around the time of the March equinox that all of us can notice. In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox brings earlier sunrises, later sunsets and sprouting plants.
Meanwhile, you’ll find the opposite season – later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds, dry and falling leaves – south of the equator.
The equinoxes and solstices are caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and ceaseless motion in orbit. You can think of an equinox as happening on the imaginary dome of our sky, or as an event that happens in Earth’s orbit around the sun.

Where are signs of the March equinox in nature?

Everywhere! Forget about the weather for a moment, and think only about daylight. In terms of daylight, the knowledge that spring is here – and summer is coming – permeates all of nature on the northern half of Earth’s globe.
Notice the arc of the sun across the sky each day. You’ll find that it’s shifting toward the north. Responding to the change in daylight, birds and butterflies are migrating back northward, too, along with the path of the sun.
The longer days do bring with them warmer weather. People are leaving their winter coats at home. Trees are budding, and plants are beginning a new cycle of growth. In many places, spring flowers are beginning to bloom.
Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and nights longer. A chill is in the air. Fall is here, and winter is coming!
Bottom line: The 2023 March equinox falls March 20 at 21:24 UTC. What is an equinox? How do we experience it on Earth? All you need to know, here.

THANKS TO: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-vernal-or-spring-equinox/?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=a63f2b74ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-a63f2b74ce-393775709&mc_cid=a63f2b74ce&mc_eid=87f7e1dbd6