Spring and autumn equinoxes. When day equals night When day equals night in summer

Yesterday, the Indian summer reached its culmination: in Moscow, the air warmed up to +21.6, according to Central Russia was up to +24.5. This is more in line normal flight than a woman. Today, the nature of the weather is beginning to change, but only in the northwestern sector of the Central District.

Sunny day in early autumn. © Tomasz Parys | Shutterstock.com
The anticyclone continues to control the situation, holding back the offensive atmospheric front from the west. Thus, for those who did not have time to enjoy Indian summer yesterday, nature gives another warm day.
Even in the northwestern regions, where the colors of the weather will be smeared with clouds and light rains, you can still catch the last notes Indian summer, with temperature +15...+20.
And in the east and south of the district, where the sky will remain sunny, you can again count on +25!

When day equals night

Twice a year, on the days of the autumn (September 22-23) and spring (March 20-21) equinoxes, the Earth turns towards the Sun in such a way that the sun's rays fall vertically on the equator. And then all over the globe - at the poles and at the equator, in temperate latitudes and in the tropics, the length of day and night becomes the same. It is curious that in Latin this event is called "aequinoctium", which translates as "equinox". In this sense, the Germans, who use the word "Tagundnachtgleiche" ("equality of day and night"), turned out to be more logical.


Autumn in the northern hemisphere. © Artens | Shutterstock.com
On the day of the autumnal equinox, the Sun crosses the equator and moves into the southern half of the celestial sphere. From this moment on, astronomical autumn begins in the entire northern hemisphere of the Earth, and darkness takes more and more minutes from light every day! The shortest day of the year, which falls on December 21 or 22, marks the beginning of astronomical winter. After that, daylight hours gradually increase and by the beginning of the third decade of March it becomes equal to night. On the day of the vernal equinox, autumn comes again on our planet, only this time in the southern hemisphere...


Yellowed leaves. © Calin Stan | Shutterstock.com
An interesting fact is that autumn and winter in the northern hemisphere are a week shorter than autumn-winter season in the southern hemisphere. Since the number of days from the spring equinox to the autumn equinox is 186, and the time interval from the autumn to the spring equinox is only 179 days! The fact is that in the winter of the northern hemisphere, the Earth moves around the heavenly body somewhat faster than in the winter of the southern hemisphere. Because in January Earth passes the point of the orbit closest to the Sun - perihelion. And at perihelion, as you know, line speed the planet is growing! Therefore, we residents northern latitudes, we are in a more favorable position than the inhabitants of the southern latitudes, whose dark and cold season is longer by as much as 7 days!


Spring is coming to Australia. © Bui Viet Hung | Shutterstock.com
However, the moment is approaching when we are forced to pass the baton of spring and summer to the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere. This will happen tomorrow. Until then let's enjoy last hours outgoing astronomical summer, especially since the weather is conducive to this!

This year, March 20 is the vernal equinox. At 13:29 Moscow time, the Sun crosses the celestial equator in its apparent movement along the ecliptic. The duration of day and night is the same on the whole Earth and equals 12 hours. The celestial equator is a projection of the earth's equator onto the sphere of fixed stars infinitely distant from us.

The sun does not move along the celestial equator, otherwise the day would be equal to the night every day, - says Alexander Bagrov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - No, the Sun moves along the ecliptic, slightly tilted. When the sun rises above the ecliptic, we have a long day. When it gets lower, the nights are long. And only at the moment when the Sun passes through the celestial equator, the day is equal to the night. Therefore, the event is called the equinox, in contrast to the summer and winter solstices.

During the last two events, as the astronomer explains, the Sun is as far as possible from the celestial equator. And then it turns out the longest day of the year - in summer. Or the longest night is in winter.

Since ancient times, the spring equinox symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle in nature. And yet - new beginnings in people's lives. From the point of view of astrology, for example, the date of the vernal equinox is the day when the Sun enters 0 degrees Aries. This point is the beginning of the Zodiac. Once upon a time, the Sun on the day of the vernal equinox really rose against the background of the constellation Aries, but over time, the equinox point has shifted, and now it is actually in the constellation Pisces. Since the signs of the Zodiac are not associated with the constellations, although they bear their names, the first sign of the Zodiac, as before, is called Aries.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring and has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth, says candidate historical sciences Boris Manevich, Lecturer at Moscow State University. - This is a day of balance of day and night, light and darkness. In many cultures and religions, various holidays were dated for the day of the vernal equinox. On this day, it was customary to perform all sorts of magical rituals. For example, after a number of preparations, plant seeds in a pot and make a wish. Then the seeds had to be carefully and long looked after so that they would germinate and bear fruit. It was believed that with the appearance of fruits, wishes come true.

Magic is a product of human consciousness. Simply put - fiction, - skeptical astronomer Alexander Bagrov. - It is necessary to understand that people from ancient times were engaged in agriculture or hunting. Both were closely related to the seasons. Either the flight of birds begins, then it's time to plow the land - in general, time had to be counted somehow. Observations helped in this countdown. For example, on March 20, the day is equal to the night. Aha, there is a point of reference! From now on, the day will be longer than the night, you need to get the plow, and after plowing, sow.

As the scientist explained, science even now, unfortunately, does not know everything. And in ancient times knew even less. Therefore, people built all sorts of guesses, reinforced them with rituals, which filled the void of scientific knowledge.

Easily explainable now events - for example, the same spring equinox - were given a certain magical meaning, people believed their own inventions, - Bagrov explained. But we can't repeat their mistakes.

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After a long winter, we all look forward to the arrival of spring. In March, buds appear on the trees, nature comes to life after long sleep the birds are singing and the sun is shining. Loved by many holiday Spring Equinox Day - what date will it be in 2020 and how is it celebrated? Read the details in this article.

What happens on this day?

First of all, let's figure out what the spring equinox is. In fact, the answer lies in the name of the Equinox: day is equal to night, that is, the duration of daylight and darkness is the same.

There is a spring equinox, which is celebrated in March, and autumn - in September. Some also talk about the spring solstice, but this is wrong. After all, they are only in summer and winter - in June and December.

holiday date in different years falls on different days: 19, 20 or 21 March. The exact date depends on the year, it's all about the calendar shift due to leap years.

In 2020, the spring equinox will occur on March 20 at 06:50 am Moscow time. If you live in another region, you can calculate the time yourself, knowing Moscow.

After this day, the length of daylight hours begins to increase, and the day becomes longer than the night.

Watch the video, which reveals the astronomical essence of the equinox phenomenon:

On March 21, the Sun moves from the zodiac sign Pisces to the sign of Aries, and the astrological spring begins (the period of the signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini).

Since the sign Aries is associated with new business, initiative, then at this time it is good to start implementing new projects, implementing ideas and plans. Nature is reviving, so the activity of man in the world should also be reborn.

Table of vernal equinoxes until 2025

Ritual for the fulfillment of a wish

The spring solstice is a time of miracles and mysticism, when the Wheel of Fate can be turned in the right direction. Traditionally, various ceremonies were performed on this day. Today I will bring a spring ritual for the fulfillment of a wish.

Important conditions: the desire should concern you personally and it should not be associated with harm to other people.

Select quiet place and ask not to distract you for half an hour. Prepare a white candle.

• Light a candle.
• Take a comfortable position with a straight back, for example, sit in a Turkish position.
• Place the candle so that it is convenient to look at it.
• Relax. Close your eyes. Breathe evenly and slowly.
• Imagine that your wish has already come true. For example, if you want to buy a new car, then imagine yourself driving, as if you were driving around the city in a brand new car. Mentally look at the registration certificate that you just received.
• Be sure to experience the emotions that a fulfilled desire will give you - delight, joy, satisfaction.
• Now place the image of the fulfilled wish in the pink sphere.
• The sphere rises up and flies into the sky, higher and higher.
• You let go of your desire, thus leaving a request to the Universe for its fulfillment.

Try to forget about your desire for a while. Then it will certainly come true.

Folk signs of the holiday

Among the people, from generation to generation, signs on the Day of the vernal equinox are passed on.

1. What will be the thoughts and desires, this will be the whole year. The fact is that on March 21, an energy template is laid for the next months of the year. Therefore, thoughts must necessarily be positive, and wishes to other people only bright and kind. It is impossible to wish bad even to enemies.
2. The more fun to celebrate this day, the more fun the year will be.
3. Our ancestors on this day looked for spring thawed patches and counted them. If you find 40 pieces, then spring will bring good luck.
4. If the day turned out to be frosty, then another 40 days of frost are expected. And if the day is warm, then there will be no night frosts.

Spring equinox festival in different nations

The spring equinox is celebrated all over the world. Different peoples meet spring in different ways, but everyone has common features Every person rejoices at the resurrected Sun and waits for a warm welcome.

Feast of the Slavs

The holiday of the spring equinox among the Slavs was called Magpies or Larks. The first name comes from the Forty Sebastian Martyrs - Christian warriors who refused to make sacrifices to pagan gods, as they deeply believed in Christ.

However, even in the pre-Christian era, the spring equinox was celebrated on a grand scale. It was believed that on this day there is a balance between light and darkness. The sun wakes up to give people warmth and harvest.

The Slavs called the Day of the vernal equinox - Larks. According to popular beliefs, migratory larks return to their homeland on this day, followed by other migratory birds.

Before this day, any agricultural work was prohibited, since the land was still in hibernation. Now she has begun awakening.

For the holiday, the housewives made ritual pastries from unleavened dough in the form of larks. Birds were often baked with spread wings and tufts. But each hostess, of course, had her own recipe.

Baked larks were given to children. They ran with them to the street, threw them up, imitating the arrival of birds. Sometimes children put the birds on a stick to raise them even higher to the sun. These ritual actions were accompanied by the calls of spring, the children shouted out special chants - the clicks of spring.

After the game, the larks were eaten, but the heads of the birds were not eaten. They were usually given to livestock.

Divination was also common. For example, the hostess baked birds, one for each family member. One had a coin inside. Whoever gets a bird with a coin will be happy all year.

Spring Larks Baking Recipes

How to cook larks for the Spring Equinox? Watch the video recipe:

And here is another recipe - simpler, from yeast-free dough:

Celtic festival Ostara

The holiday, named after the goddess of fertility of the earth named Ostare, is celebrated on the Day of the spring equinox. From that day on, the ancient Celts opened the agricultural season.

The goddess Ostare is one of the most "ancient" goddesses, known from the second millennium BC. It is also associated with the awakening of nature, with the first herbs and flowers.

On this day, the ancient Germans performed rituals for the fertility of fields and trees in the coming season. It was customary to cleanse people of the filth accumulated over the winter.

Popular on this holiday were:

• Dousing with water;
• Fumigation with smoke;
• Jumping over the fire;
• Descent of fiery wheels from the mountain;
• Throwing fire arrows.

After the advent of Christianity, the pagan Spring Equinox merged with the Christian Annunciation.

There are two main symbols of the goddess Ostare. The first of these is the moon hare or rabbit. He symbolized fertility (everyone knows how rabbits breed) and personified rebirth.

According to legend, the goddess Ostare saw a wounded bird in the snow. He took pity on the bird and, wanting to save it from death, turned it into a hare. In its new form, the bird still laid eggs. Therefore, the egg was considered the second symbol of the holiday - a symbol of the Sun and the rebirth of nature.

Eggs were painted with protective symbols, as well as signs of peace, wealth, fertility, etc. on them. The rite is similar to the painting of Easter eggs familiar to us today.

Higan in Japan

The spring equinox in Japan is associated with Buddhist holiday named Higan. It is a public holiday and a day off for the Japanese.

However, the celebrations last for a whole week: they begin 3 days before the equinox and end 3 days after it ends. The exact date of the equinox is calculated every year at the National Observatory.

The name "khigan" is translated as "that shore" or "the world where the souls of ancestors settled." Accordingly, this is a holiday of veneration of ancestors.

Before the holiday, the Japanese carefully clean their houses and put things in order. They clean the home altar with photographs of ancestors and their personal belongings, put fresh flowers and ritual food.

During the festive week, people in Japan go to the graves of deceased relatives. All ritual foods are vegetarian. This is a tribute to the Buddhist tradition not to kill any living beings and not to eat meat. The basis of the menu are rice, vegetables, beans, root vegetables and vegetable broths.

AT holidays the Japanese visit Buddhist temples, order prayers and pay ritual honors to departed ancestors.

Soon after Higan comes the cherry blossom season, which symbolizes the real rebirth of nature. All the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun go to admire the beautiful and short-term phenomenon.

Turkic Novruz

The traditional holiday Novruz or Nauryz is celebrated by the Turkic and Iranian peoples, it is one of the most ancient holidays in the history of mankind. Not related to Islam, originated in Zoroastrianism and associated with astronomical phenomenon spring equinox. It is considered the true beginning of the New Year.

Nowruz is currently celebrated on March 21 in Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries. In Russia, this holiday is celebrated in Bashkortostan, Tatarstan and Dagestan.

Preparations for Novruz begin well in advance. Be sure to clean the house, pay off debts, ask for forgiveness for the wrongs caused. Prepare a variety of traditional dishes. Definitely lots of sweets. It is believed that the richer the table, the happier the year will pass.

Germinated wheat greens are often put on the table, which symbolizes the rebirth of nature.

There is a tradition to arrange a fiery festival for Novruz. For example, they make a fire, dance round dances around it. And then they jump over the fire. It is believed that this allows you to cleanse yourself of all ailments and problems.

Thus, the date of the vernal equinox is very important in history and culture. different peoples peace. Everyone on this day welcomes spring, the reborn sun and hopes for a rich harvest.

Equinox, implies at least a basic knowledge of astronomical terms, because the equinox itself is a phenomenon studied by this particular science.

Required knowledge of astronomical terms

Our luminary makes its movement along the ecliptic, which is, speaking in unscientific terms, the plane of the earth's orbit. And the moment when the sun, making its way along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator, which is big circle air and parallel to the earth's equator (their planes coincide, and both of them are perpendicular to the axis of the world), is called an equinox. (also an astronomical concept that has nothing to do with Schwarzenegger) is a line that divides any celestial body into a part illuminated by the sun and into a "night" part. So, on the day of the equinox, it is this terminator that passes through the geographic poles of the Earth and divides it into two equal semi-ellipses.

The salient feature in the name

The name itself contains the concept that on the day of the equinox, night and day are equal to each other. From a scientific point of view, the night is always a little shorter, and the sun rises and sets not exactly in the east and west, but a little to the north. But all the same, from childhood we know that June 22 is not only the day the war began and school graduation balls(as it was in Soviet time), but also the summer equinox. However, December 22 is also called the days of summer and winter solstice. This happens because the sun in these periods of time is either at the highest point above the horizon, or at the lowest, and farthest from the celestial equator. That is, on the day of the equinox, the light and dark parts of the day are almost equal to each other.

The number characteristic of the equinox and solstice

On the days of the solstices, one of them - either day or night - maximally exceeds the other. The equinoxes and solstices are also notable for the fact that they serve as the beginning of the seasons. These dates are very remarkable, and always one of the family members says that, they say, today is the longest or shortest day, or that today the day is equal to the night. And this distinguishes him from a series of consecutive days. Almost always, the date of these moments becomes the 22nd, but there are also leap years, and other moments and phenomena of astronomy that affect the date shift by the 21st or 23rd. The months of March, June, September and December are those in which the equinoxes and solstices fall.

Holidays that came from ancient times

Of course, they have been known since ancient times. Our ancestors observed them and connected their lives with these dates, dozens of witnesses will accept this. For the ancient Slavs, a certain holiday is associated with each of these days, and it usually lasts a week (Carols, Rusalia, Maslenitsa week). So, on the winter solstice, Kolyada falls, a holiday later timed to coincide with Christmas. Velikden, or Komoyeditsa, she is Shrovetide - these names mark the spring equinox, the birth of the young sun. From this day, the astrological solar year begins, and our luminary passes into from the South. Maybe that's why March 20 is the holiday of astrology. Kupala (other names Ivan-day, Solstice), or summer opposition, - big summer holiday of the ancient Slavs, covered with legends, glorifying the brave people going that night to look for a fern flower. Ovsen-Tausen, the day of the autumn equinox, after which winter slowly begins to come into its own, and the nights become longer. Therefore, our ancestors in Svyatovit (another name) lit candles - the most beautiful was put in a place of honor.

Earth's Special Climate Zone

All these dates served as reference points for the beginning of certain activities necessary for life - seasonal species farming, building or stocking up for the winter. The days of the spring and autumn equinoxes are also characterized by the fact that the sun gives off its light and heat equally to both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and its rays reach both poles. These days it is above the territory of such climate zone Lands like the tropics (translated from Greek means turning circle). In different directions from the equator to 23 and a few degrees, parallel to it are the northern and southern tropics. characteristic feature the area enclosed between them is that over them twice a year the Sun reaches its zenith - once on June 22 over the northern tropic, or the tropic of Cancer, the second time over the southern, or tropic of Capricorn. It happens on December 22nd. This is typical for all latitudes. North and south of the tropics at its zenith, the Sun never appears.

One of the consequences of the shift in the direction of the earth's axis

On the days of the equinox and solstice, it intersects with the celestial equator at points located in (spring) and Virgo (autumn), and on the days of greatest and least distance from the equator, that is, on the days of the summer and winter solstices, in the constellations of Taurus and Sagittarius, respectively . The summer solstice moved from the zodiac constellation Gemini to Taurus in 1988. Under the influence of the attraction of the Sun and Moon, slowly earth's axis shifts its direction (precession is another astronomical term), as a result of which the points of intersection of the star with the celestial equator also shift. Spring dates differ from autumn dates, and if September falls on the 22nd-23rd, then the question “When is the day of the vernal equinox?” The answer will be - March 20th. It must be noted that for the Southern Hemisphere, the dates will change places - autumn will become spring, because everything is vice versa there.

The role of the zodiac constellations

As noted above, the equinox points are the points of intersection of the celestial equator with the ecliptic, and they have their own zodiac symbols, corresponding to the constellations in which they are: spring - Aries, summer - Cancer, autumn - Libra, winter - Capricorn. It should be noted that the period of time between two equinoxes of the same name is called a tropical year, the number of solar days in which differs from approximately 6 hours. And only thanks to the leap year, which repeats once every 4 years, the date of the next equinox, running forward, returns to the previous number. With the Gregorian year, the difference is negligible (tropical - 365.2422 days, Gregorian - 365.2425), because this modern calendar is arranged in such a way that even in the long term, the dates of the solstices and equinoxes fall on the same numbers. This happens because it provides for a pass of 3 days once every 400 years.

One of the most important practical tasks of astronomy is the establishment of the date of the equinox

Dates range from 1 to 2, no more than days. So how to determine for the coming years when the day of the equinox? It is noticed that as a result of the presence of small fluctuations, the earliest dates, that is, the 19th, fall on leap years. Naturally, the latest (22) falls directly on the preceding leap years. Very rarely there are earlier and later dates, the memory of them is kept for centuries. So, back in 1696, the spring equinox fell on March 19, and in 1903, the autumn equinox fell on September 24. Contemporaries will not see such deviations, because the record of 1696 will be repeated in 2096, and the latest equinox (September 23) will occur no earlier than 2103. There are nuances associated with local time - a deviation in a figure from world time occurs only when exact date falls at 24:00. After all, to the west of the reference point - the zero meridian - a new day has not yet arrived.