Spring Equinox 2024: The date is finally approaching!

“Spring equinox 2024: the date is finally approaching!”

SPRING. The vernal equinox which takes place this Wednesday, March 20, 2024, marks the start of spring. Exactly what time? What weather does the equinox have in store for us and how to explain the phenomenon?

[Mis à day March 15, 2023 & 7:28 p.m.] The season of the first buds, of the first rays of sun and of the first sunburns, will begin this year this Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The start of spring is marked by milder temperatures "often more than 15 degrees" in the north of France. But the spring weather can sometimes be more capricious. Late cold weather can characterize the first days of spring, as happens once every 3 months. 4 years. 

But how is the phenomenon of the spring equinox ? characterized? ;eacute;equal to that of the night, but it is no longer the same at night. measuring the approach of the summer approach with shorter nights and longer durations of sunshine. Remember that on average, during spring, we gain in France and in the regions 4 minutes of sunshine every day! set this date for the vernal equinox ? At what time will the astronomical event occur and how will the event occur? explain ?

What is the date and time of the vernal equinox in 2024?

The Spring Equinox 2024 will take place on Wednesday March 20, 2024 ;nbsp;4 hours 6 minutes and 21 seconds (French time) very exactly , or 3h06 ;and 21 seconds universal time, as reported by the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Calculation of the Ph&Emerides& ;nbsp;that we find à the Paris Observatory, in the 14th arrondissement of the capital.

From an astronomical point of view, spring begins at the time of the vernal equinox, which can occur between the 19th and 21st. nbsp;March. It lasts until the summer solstice. What makes spring last &agrav; about three months. The date of the equinox is calculated for each year by astronomers and mathematicians. It's about predicting the exact moment when The plane of the equator and that of the Earth's trajectory coincide. A calculation made necessary by the discrepancy between our calendar, our time system and the movements of the stars. First, the Earth's orbit is not perfectly circular, which means that depending on its position on this orbit, the Earth can be more or less less close to the sun (between 147 million kilometers minimum and 152 million kilometers maximum). Voilaà which inevitably makes the durations of each season very irregular and therefore the variable spring date.

Another explanation: the Earth does not take exactly 365 days to recover. go around the sun.In this respect our Gregorian calendar, established in the 16th century, is far too simplistic. In fact, it takes exactly 365.2422 days (365 days, 5 hours and 46 minutes) for us to have traveled completely around the world. #39;star! We are therefore obliged to add time to this task. others on February 29 (during leap years) to correct in part (and only in part) this shift. A one-off addition that artificially pushes back the spring date by one day during leap years. Which explains why astronomers have "advanced" to March 20 last year. And let the situation present itself to you. new this year.

When the Julian calendar was established by Caesar, in 45 BCE, the spring equinox had summer set for March 25, based on imprecise observations at the time. But the absence of February 29 in this ancient calendar ended up moving this date to March 11 in the 16th century. .. It was not until the establishment of the Gregorian calendar (the one we use today), in 1582, that the Gregorian calendar (the one we use today) was established in 1582. a date approaching March 21 was announced. chosen.

The date of spring "common" should not be confused with that of meteorological spring, which begins each year on March 1, allowing meteorologists to make their seasonal calculations ahead of time. on the scale of entire months. In meteorology, we consider that spring begins on March 1 and ends on May 31: in this discipline, we characterize identifies spring as a period of warming temperatures (in our latitudes) and an increase in the length of daylight. It's also one of the most difficult seasons in the world. analyze in this discipline. However, it is the equinox which continues to unfold. mark the advent of spring in people's minds. As evidenced by the demonstrations organized around March 20 in France, start with the Spring of Cinema.

What is the definition of spring equinox?

The word équinoxe comes from Latin "æquinoctium" ("equal night") because the most visible phenomenon for man is that the length of the day becomes identical to that of the day. that of the night. The reason for this phenomenon? The equinox corresponds to the time of the year when The Sun crosses the equatorial plane of the earth. The star is then to the nith of the Equator, which allows the day and the night to share time à equal parts. And this in both hemispheres, south and north. For our part, the days are getting longer and we are at a loss. halfway between the short days of December and the long days of June. During the equinox, the axis of rotation of the Earth on itself and the axis of rotation of the Earth around the Sun therefore correspond exactly . On our planet, during the equinox, our star appears right on the horizon. the east & dawn only to disappear right away west.

This phenomenon is also linked to &agrav; geometry. The Earth's axis of rotation is naturally tilted. of 23.4° relative to the plane of its orbit. In other words, our planet is "leaning" with respect to the plane on which it revolves around the Sun(see diagram below). The star therefore illuminates it differently depending on the time of the year. This phenomenon explains why the days lengthen or shorten between summer and summer. and winter. This also gives rise to seasons, due to the warming or cooling of air masses and oceans depending on the time spent. every day under the rays of the sun. The distance between the sun and the Earth, however, has no direct link with temperature. Know for example that the Earth reaches the closest point to the sun (the perihelion) on January 3, it is say in the heart of our winter.

It is the tilt of the Earth that causes the seasons to change. © Peter Hermes Furian/123RF

The equinox occurs twice a year: between March 19 and 21 (spring or vernal equinox) and between March 22 ;and September 23 (autumn equinox).In spring the duration of sunshine increases. the equinox to reach 4 p.m. the end of June, during the summer solstice. Conversely, the autumnal equinox begins a period of reduction of the day which descends to &agrav; barely more than 8 hours at the winter solstice, around December 21. During the equinox, however, there is no jealousy: day and night are supposed to last 12 hours sharp each. These data nevertheless vary slightly since the shape of the Earth is not perfectly regular and the shape of the Earth is not perfectly regular. The atmosphere slightly deflects the sun's rays. Thus, &agrav; Paris, March 20, last year, the sun rose. &agrav; 6:52 a.m. to go to bed & 7:03 p.m. The length of the day was therefore very slightly longer than usual. 12 hours. It is also at the time of the equinoxes that the length of the day increases/decreases most quickly in our latitudes.

Spring equinox and pagan festival are closely linked. Thus, different celebrations of the vernal equinox around March 21 have existed. in very ancient times, some of which still survive today. Among them, bonfires which symbolize liberation from darkness. of winter; or the cakes offered to guests a deity; when it is not a straw mannequin that we burn or put to death; water, as if to "destroy" winter.

Now that you know everything about the vernal equinox , learn more about the autumnal equinox! Linternaute.com also invites you to discover our files on the summer solstice and the winter solstice