Did you know?

The official beginning of spring is a highly anticipated day among people who can't wait to put away their winter coats and soak up some warm sunlight. But the day of the spring equinox is just as worthy of celebration for its uniqueness as it is for its symbolic connection with the end of winter. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, on the spring equinox, which is sometimes referred to as the "vernal equinox" or the "March equinox," the sun crosses the celestial equator going south to north. Equinoxes (there's another one in September each year) are the only two times a year that the sun rises due east and sets due west for everyone on Earth. As the sun passes overhead on the equinox, the tilt of Earth is zero relative to the sun. That means that the planet's axis neither points toward or away from the sun. Though it's understandable why so many people appreciate the spring equinox, which ushers in increasing sunlight hours and later sunsets, the day's uniqueness makes it even more worthy of celebration. This year the spring equinox happens on Saturday, March 20 at 5:37 a.m. EDT in the northern hemisphere.