Tonight marks the official beginning of spring in the United States. It's the first time since 1896 that the first day of spring has occurred on March 19 nationwide, irrespective of time zone.
The word"spring" refers to: the weather that happens between winter and summer, which is meteorological spring; and one portion of the Earth's oval-shaped journey around the Sun, which is astronomical spring.
On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal everywhere on Earth. The date varies because the 365-day calendar doesn't perfectly line up with the motion of the Earth around the Sun.Encyclopaedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via GettyAstronomical spring begins in the northern hemisphere at the moment around this time of year when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the Sun.
Most years, we drop that extra 0.24 and pretend that the year is simply 365 days long. But the Earth's location in its solar orbit doesn't change just because we rounded, so the time at which we experience the equinox gets about a quarter of a day later each year. For example, the time of the equinox would move from around 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. over the course of three years.
All those little rounding errors add up over time. If we blithely added a leap day every four years forever, our whole calendar would eventually be totally out of whack with the actual orbit of the Earth.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How To Preserve Fresh Spring and Summer Produce | The Food LabI go a bit nuts every spring and summer when fresh produce is at its best. I end up buying things willy nilly, without much thought as to how I'm going to prepare, much less eat, all of it myself. After several valiant dinner parties and late night asparagus binges, I still find myself with far too much produce to even consider finishing everything before it starts to lose quality.
Read more »
Bring Spring Inside With This Flower-Pressed Cookie RecipeUsher in spring with these flower-pressed shortbread cookies.
Read more »
Coronavirus comes for spring break: Local officials close Florida beaches after governor refuses toAt the height of the spring break rush, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he would not order the beaches closed.
Read more »
Floods will affect 128M in 23 states this spring; coast-to-coast warmth also expectedWhile a soggy spring is forecast across the eastern half of the country this year, almost the entire nation should bask in unusual warmth.
Read more »
The Half and Half Hair Color Trend aka Two-Tone Hair is Perfect for SpringFor the indecisive ones, picking one hair color is a daunting task. The latest spring hair color trend solves this
Read more »