 The First Day of the Season of Spring There are two times of the year when - most places on Earth - periods of daylight and darkness are about equal. March 20 is one of them (the other is September 22). The Spring Equinox (today) is the first day of the Season of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere*. It signals the beginning of a long period of continuous sunlight at the North Pole. The Sun has been moving northward, and today it crosses the Equator (the imaginary line around the middle of the Earth) on its journey towards the Arctic. The Sun actually appeared at the North Pole two days ago, when its leading edge peeked over the horizon - and stayed there. Today, being an equal distance from the North Pole and the South Pole, one-half of it is above the horizon - and its going to stay up for another 187 days! Elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, hours of daylight will exceed the hours of darkness. * NOTE: March 20 is also the first day of the Season of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, but this is a site about Arctic things, so - who cares?
Click pictures for more information and credits. Library: Sky/Seasons, Arctic Links: Animals, Sunrise/Sunset, Arctic Sunrise/Sunset: Guide, Definitions Arctic Maps & Weather Reports |
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DICTIONARY: Just "double-click" any unlinked word on this page for the definition from Merriam-Webster's Student Electronic Dictionary at Word Central. |
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ARCTIC LIBRARY & GLOSSARY: Check this section for an index of the rest of the things you really need to know about the Arctic. |
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ARCTIC MAPS & WEATHER REPORTS: Maps of the Northwest Passage, explorers' routes, iceberg sources, Nunavut, the Arctic by treeline, temperature... |
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ARCTIC LINKS: Even more information! Links to sites related to the Arctic and "Iceberg: the Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots". |
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GUIDE TO ARCTIC SUNRISE & SUNSET: How much sunlight or darkness is there in the Arctic on each day of the year? |
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