Skip Navigation
Falvey Library
Advanced
You are exploring: Home > Blogs

First Day of Spring?

  • Posted by: Alice Bampton
  • Posted Date: March 20, 2017
  • Filed Under: Library News

spring-awakening-1197602_1280

According to 2017 calendars, today, March 20, is the first day of spring although the view from my window does not agree: piles of snow line the campus walks and much of the ground is still covered with snow. Astronomically (and this is the date used by our calendars), the first day of spring is determined by the date on which the vernal (spring) equinox falls – March 19, 20, or 21. This year in our time zone the equinox arrived at 6:49 am EDT.

An equinox is “[o]ne of the two periods in the year when the days and nights are equal in length all over the earth, owing to the sun’s crossing the equator. Hence the precise moment at which the sun crosses the equator.” (Oxford English Dictionary)

Curious? Want more information? See the “Dig Deeper” below.

Dig Deeper: 

 Epstein, Dave. “Why is Monday considered spring? The vernal equinox explained.” Boston Globe, March 19, 2017.

“Meteorological Versus Astronomical Seasons.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Last Spring Freeze Date resize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
AlfredFry-237x300And don’t forget, Falvey has Alfred Fry, our Science and Engineering librarian to help you find answers to your questions. Room 223, telephone 610-519-4283.

 


Like
1 People Like This Post

0 Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment

 


Last Modified: March 20, 2017

Ask Us: Live Chat
Back to Top