Or a Cannibal I suppose...
Remember when Spring Equinox was celebrated on March 21? Well I was wrong because the last time that happened was in 2007 and the next time it will happen is in 2101!
Contrary to popular wisdom, the March Equinox can take place on March 19, 20 or 21. In the 21st century, the March Equinox has only occurred twice on March 21 – 2003 and 2007. A March 19 equinox will be more frequent during the last decades of the century.
So, it seems I missed the first day of spring yesterday. However the sun is shining today so that is a bonus.
Conventional wisdom suggests that on the equinox everybody on Earth gets to experience a day and night of equal lengths – 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night time. In fact, the name equinox is derived from the Latin words aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night.
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| Spring is just around the corner |
To do this experiment, you'll need a straight stick or a long wooden ruler, a protractor and a compass.
Find an empty space such as a park or a parking lot where there are few tall buildings, trees or hills to obstruct the Sun. Find your location's latitude. Subtract this number from 90. This will be the angle you will affix the stick in the ground.
If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, use your compass to find the south and point the stick in that direction. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, point the stick or the ruler to the north. Using the protractor fix the stick in the ground at the angle you just calculated - remember to point it in the direction opposite to the hemisphere you are on.
Wait till Noon and see the shadow of the stick disappear. At Noon, the stick will have no shadow at all!
Interestingly, the Spring Equinox is also the Autumn Equinox in the Southern hemisphere - that's confusing isn't it ?
In other news - Change of Pictures today
I'll drink to that ...
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