![]() ![]() Most locations of Earth, except those on the Equator, do have almost equal day and night twice a year. Why don't the equinoxes have equal day and night? This is because of two reasons: how sunrise and sunset is defined and atmospheric refraction of sunlight. In reality though, most places on Earth get to see more daylight than night time on the equinoxes. In fact, the name equinox is derived from the Latin words aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. ![]() Equal Day and Night.Ĭonventional wisdom suggests that on the equinox everybody on Earth gets to experience a day and night of equal lengths – 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night time. Due to time zone differences, locations ahead of UTC may celebrate the March equinox a day later, and locations behind UTC may celebrate it a day earlier.ĭates for the March equinox from 1 CE to 2149 6. Note: These dates are based on the time of the equinox in UTC. A March 19 equinox will be more frequent during the last decades of the century. In the 21st century, the March equinox has only occurred twice on March 21 – 20. Remember when spring equinox was celebrated on March 21? Well, remember again, because the last time that happened was in 2007 and the next time it will happen is in 2101!Ĭontrary to popular wisdom, the March equinox can take place on March 19, 20 or 21. This is because of the time zone difference.Įarth: The living planet 5. For locations that are 4 hours or more behind UTC, it will take place on March 19. In 2024, this happens on March 20, at 03:06 UTC. What effect does Earth's axial tilt have? However, in reality, the equinox occurs at a specific moment in time when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, the imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator, from south to north.Īt this moment, Earth's axis is tilted neither away from nor towards the Sun, but is rather perpendicular to the Sun's rays, like the illustration shows. Many cultures around the world celebrate the whole day as the March equinox. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays)Īt the equinox, Earth's axis is perpendicular to the Sun's rays (not to scale). ![]()
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