The first day of spring this year will land on March 20, 2026 at approximately 10:46 a.m EST. People of the northern hemisphere call this the spring equinox. Usually, the start of spring occurs on March 21, but astronomers and calendar manufacturers decided it starts day earlier in all time zones in North America.
What Is the Spring Equinox?
In the northern hemisphere, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, it marks the start of spring. Simultaneously, it marks the fall equinox in the southern hemisphere. This time period will make it easier for people to watch the amazing northern lights.
An equinox occurs when the sun directly shines on the Earth’s equator, which gives off an equal amount of hours for daylight and darkness. After this point, daylight hours in the north slowly begin to grow longer as the region moves closer toward summer.
Many cultures around the world view the Spring Equinox as a time for renewal and a fresh start to the year.
What Is an “Equinox”?
The word equinox comes from a Latin term, aequus, meaning “equal” and nox meaning “night”.
This translates to “equal night”, referring to the time of year when night and day are the same length around the world.
People have marked equinoxes in various ways throughout history. Through pyramids, stone engravings that served as a calendar, or churches that featured the sun in their design. Civilizations have marked the equinoxes and the passage of time accurately.
Scientists also refer to this as the “equinox effect” and claim that it might make the northern lights more likely during the spring and fall equinoxes. This scientific explanation behind this claim came in 1973 from scientists Christopher Russell and Robert McPherron.
According to the scientist, during this time of the year, the sun’s magnetic field is aligned in a way that allows charged particles from the sun to easily penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere. This causes the colorful display that we see in the night sky when the particles collide with gases in the atmosphere.
The Signs of an Equinox
Are your curious about how the equinox influences nature and the climate around us? The sun will be out longer than usual due to the end of daylight saving time. This means leaves on trees and plants will grow back again, in addition to butterflies and birds migrating back north.
The spring equinox often marks a symbol of renewal and a fresh start. After the darkness and gloomy winter days in the northern hemisphere, the slow return of daylight is seen as a chance to emerge from hibernation and start anew.
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