When Is The 1st Day Of Spring? What To Know About The Vernal Equinox

ACROSS AMERICA — The official start of spring — that’s on Monday, March 20, with the vernal equinox — marks the return of outdoor activities in communities across America.

The vernal equinox, the switch from astronomical winter to astronomical spring, occurs when the sun, moving from south to north, is directly above Earth’s equator, according to AccuWeather. This year, that happens at 5:24 p.m. EDT.

The beginning of daylight saving time has already given us/will give us an extra hour of daylight to enjoy abundant outdoor activities. What’s stopping you?

Here are five things to know about the beginning of spring:

1. During the equinox, will we have equal hours of day and night?

No, according to National Geographic, although they’re close. Days of nearly equal daylight and nighttime always fall before the spring equinox and or autumnal equinox — that’s on Sept. 23 this year — and then it depends on where you are on the planet.

So, when the sun passes over the equator on March 20, the day will be a little longer than the night, no matter where you are.

2. Does the sun rise due east and set due west at the equinox?

Yes, it does, no matter where you are on Earth. If you’re directionally confused, or downright dysfunctional, this is a good time of year to find due east and due west, according to Earthsky.org, which advises: “Just go outside around sunset or sunrise and notice the location of the sun on the horizon with respect to familiar landmarks.”

Your clarity won’t last, though, as the direction of the sun will shift as the season progresses.

3. During the equinox, can you stand in the direct sun and not cast a shadow?

The sun’s new angle during the equinox will change the length of your shadow, but conditions would have to be perfect for this to happen. For example, you’d have to be standing right at the equator when the clock strikes noon to avoid casting a shadow, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

4. Can you really stand an egg on its end at the exact moment spring arrives?

Yes, but no more so on the first day of spring than on any other day, according to “The Bad Astronomer” Philip Plait, who compares the egg standing myth to “an extremely contagious virus.” Plait, an American astronomer, skeptic, writer and popular science blogger, says the reason eggs can be balanced on one end most likely has to do with tiny bumps on the shell on the end that “act like little legs holding the egg up.”

5. Does spring really make people more amorous?

Uhm, no, according to the Science of Relationships, which says sexual drives and mating behaviors follow six-month cycles. So, you’re most likely to feel the urge to go forth and procreate, or at least practice for it, in the winter and spring.