Pyramid in Chichen Itza, Mexico, during the spring equinox
Spring equinox is another name for the equinox also known as vernal equinox and March equinox. An equinox is the moment in time (not a day-long event) when the Sun stands directly above the equator and day and night are of approximately equal length. For the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox is the moment when winter ends and spring begins, while for the Southern Hemisphere it is the moment when summer ends and fall (autumn) begins.
In the Northern Hemisphere the spring equinox occurs every year between March 19 and March 21. The dates given on this page are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While the spring equinox occurs at the same moment in time all over the world, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of the spring equinox 2020 in your area use this seasons calculator.
The spring equinox is one of four days (two equinoxes and two solstices) throughout the year that mark the beginning of a new season. The other days are the summer solstice (beginning of summer), the fall equinox (beginning of fall) and the winter solstice (beginning of winter).
read more
