Today’s the first day of spring, otherwise known as the spring equinox. But what is an equinox, exactly? The answer lies in the tilt of the Earth’s axis. When it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, those of us above the equator are tilted away from the sun, giving us shorter days and longer nights. In summer, we’re tilted toward the sun, so we can enjoy longer days and shorter nights. But the equinox is right in between. It"s the moment during Earth"s annual revolution around the sun when its axis is neither tilting away nor tilting toward the sun, giving everyone on the planet an equal split of day and night. This phenomenon happens twice a year—in March and again in September. For folks in the Northern Hemisphere, today signals a shift toward the long days of summer. But in the Southern Hemisphere, everything"s flipped. It"s the autumnal equinox today—and, yes, winter is coming.
Hello, spring!
Today in History
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Porto Cathedral, Portugal
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Native American Heritage Month
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Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
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Winter in the Finnish wilds
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Autumn’s swan song
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Surfer s paradise
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Happy Boxing Day!
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Squirrel Appreciation Day
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3, 2, 1 … Happy New Year!
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It s truffle season here in the Dordogne Valley
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A universe underground
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Arbor Day
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Get on your bike and ride
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Make your way up a picturesque passageway of Chefchaouen
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Remembering Krakatoa
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National Park Week continues
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Denali National Park
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There’s a dog in there somewhere
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Shining like Klondike gold
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National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
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It’s Draw a Bird Day
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The Girl Scouts celebrate 110 years
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Nursing the world to health
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The ‘Night of Nights’
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Swinging into International Jazz Day
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Pups of the prairie
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Long-eared owl in the Czech Republic
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Whatever floats your boat
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Time for brass bands and beer
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The Feathers at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage, Washington