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The Cotswold Sky
Welcome to the 2023 Spring Equinox
The 2023 Vernal or Spring Equinox welcomes the beginning of Spring. This year the Sun appears overhead on the equator on Monday 20th March at 9.24pm.
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The complexities of how our ancestors worked out how to find this point in time is most interesting and not without its mishaps. They were aware the Earth rotated the Sun every 365 and one quarter of a day and this is the reason why we add an extra day (Feb 29th) every four years. If this was not done our calendar would slip out of synchronisation with the seasons.
You will note from the diagram that as the Earth continues its journey towards the Summer Solstice on June 21st the Northern Hemisphere becomes more prominently visible to the Sun thus the days become more warmer and longer as we head towards the summer.
For more detailed information on the Vernal Equinox go to: www.weather.gov/cle/Seasons www.almanac.com
John Harris
