The Vernal Equinox and why it matters

Mar 19, 08:16 PM

March 20 is the vernal (from the Latin “vernal,” which means “bloom,” a clear reminder that winter is officially over) and equinox, which is Latin for “equal night,” indicating that the night and the day are of equal length – 12 hours apiece.

The equinox is the day when one season officially becomes the next. Actually, it’s a precise moment, and this year locally, it will be 6:44 Friday morning, March 20th. From that moment in time until the Summer Solstice on June 21 (at exactly 12:45 a.m.), the days will continually grow longer and the nights shorter.

What is the equinox you ask? Well, it is the precise moment that the sun is directly over the equator as it makes its annual journey into the northern hemisphere. As I stated above that means most spots have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. (50/50) Hence the term equinox.

SOON WE’LL BE SEEING THESE
Whatever your technical definition, the most important thing to know is that this is a really good thing as the days get longer and the sun gets more direct for 3 more months. All that extra solar insulation means temperatures are climbing steadily towards those cozy conditions we see regularly in the lazy, hazy days of summer. Ahhhh!
Ride the wind,
T. Swails