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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
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Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day
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Breckenridge, Colorado
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Pi Day
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World Whale Day
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Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
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Sounds of Bach come to Bath
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Up on the glacier
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Fiesta at Siesta
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Till the cows come home
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Yarn for Distaff Day
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Happy Star Wars Day!
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Short-eared owl
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Arambol Beach, Goa, India
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Happy birthday to the Peak!
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A palace for the public
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International Geodiversity Day
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A willowy welcome to spring
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A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named
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A grand event
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Crested caracaras
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The desert blooms
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Ljubljana, Slovenia
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A treaty for science
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Oktoberfest
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Happy Halloween!
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Kings of the Kalahari
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Iceland awaits the Yule Lads
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International Lighthouse Weekend
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American bison