Vernal Equinox

We are now in the vernal equinox.

But what is it? And so what if we are in the vernal equinox?

We know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. . But it does not rise or set at a fixed point of the eastern or western  horizon everyday. The ancients have observed that throughout the year, the position at which the sun rises and sets shifts between two extreme locations at the horizon.



(Image taken from The Universe and Weather from the TimeLife Children's Treasury of Knowledge series.)

Whenever the sun rises and sets at the midpoint between the two extreme points, the nights and days have approximately the same lengths. This exact time is called "equinox".

Throughout the year, there are two equinoces: one in March, and another in September. For us in the northern hemisphere, the March equinox is the spring or vernal equinox while it is the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere. The September equinox is the opposite.

The Catholic Church pegs the date of Easter at the first Sunday afted the first full moon after the March equinox.

So the vernal equinox means that Easter is near.

Thinking about these things make me amazed about how everything in the universe simply falls into place, in spite of everything.




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