Fascinating Facts About the Spring Equinox

This year, the first day of spring, also called the spring or vernal equinox, is March 20 at 9:57 A.M. PDT. The word equinox comes from the Latin words meaning “equal night.”
The spring equinox signals the start of nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere. And speaking of renewal, spring is a good time to save money and renew your car insurance with a new quote.

Facts about the Vernal Equinox :

• The first day of spring rarely has exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
• There is always a time each spring, and again in the fall, when the number of hours of light and darkness are equal, but it usually happens before the vernal equinox and after the autumnal equinox.
• The fall and spring equinoxes are the only two times during the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west.
• The equinoxes are the only days of the year when a person standing on the equator can see the sun passing directly overhead.
• If you’re at the equator during the vernal equinox, the sun will be directly overhead the entire day.
• On the Northern Hemisphere’s vernal equinox day, a person at the North Pole would see the sun moving across the horizon, starting six months of nonstop daylight.
• People at the South Pole would also see the sun glide across the horizon, but for them it would mean the start of six straight months of darkness.
• Spring almost always arrives on March 20 or 21, but sometimes comes on March 19.
• The first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere is the date of the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, usually in September.
• Children grow faster in spring.
• Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
• Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the day of the vernal equinox.
• In Japan, during the March and September equinoxes, Higan is a week-long Buddhist celebration when families visit graves and hold reunions.
• In ancient Egypt and Persia decorated eggs were exchanged at the equinox (eggs were considered to represent creation and fertility).
• The first day of spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
• Hurricane season also begins in late spring.
• Tornado Alley is most active this time of year
• Spring is fireball season, the nightly rate of bright meteors climbs during the weeks around the vernal equinox

So get ready to welcome spring – catch a meteor shower or get a jump on your spring cleaning, And what better way to start the season than by saving money on your car insurance?

Do you have any special plans to welcome spring? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.