Why does the Vernal Equinox happen?
The equinox occurs because of the tilt of the Earth in relation to the Sun. This is what causes the seasons.
The Earth’s tilt is 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit and means that, although one revolution of the planet takes 24 hours, it’s different depending on the time of year.
During the summer time, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, so we get longer days as more light falls on this part of the planet.
In the winter time it’s the Southern Hemisphere that gets the majority of the light.
“Equal night”
On the spring equinox, the Earth hits the turning point in its orbit where neither the North or the South poles are tilted towards the sun.
As a result, the Sun spends a roughly equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on the Earth, so night and day are about the same length.
The word equinox is Latin for “equal night”.
Meteorologists use it as the official turning point in the seasons because – although it can vary from year to year, it allows for the most accurate record-keeping.
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