Spring Equinox: When is the First Day of Spring / What happens in the Southern Hemisphere?

On Friday, March 20, at 15:46, spring will officially begin not only in our country, but across the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Remember that during the spring equinox, day and night are approximately equal in length across the entire planet.

Why does the spring equinox happen?

The Earth rotates along an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. This line is called the Earth’s axis, and it is this rotation that gives us day and night.

However, the axis is tilted by 23.5 degrees, NASA explains. This causes one hemisphere of the planet to receive more sunlight than the other for half of its yearly orbit around the Sun. This change in sunlight is what determines the change of seasons.

The phenomenon reaches its peak between late June and late December. These are the solstices, and they are the times when the most extreme differences between day and night occur, especially near the poles. This is why in places like Scandinavia and Alaska, darkness lasts for so long each day during winter.

But since the winter solstice three months ago, in December, you may have noticed that in the Northern Hemisphere, the days have been getting longer and the nights shorter.

From now on, the Northern Hemisphere will be more exposed to the Sun than the Southern Hemisphere. This is why it will become warmer as we approach the summer solstice in June.

For some, autumn is coming.

This equinox marks the arrival of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, people in the Northern Hemisphere look forward to longer days, fragrant flowers and an explosion of greenery. But for those living south of the equator, this equinox means they are heading toward autumn.

So for Chileans, South Africans and Australians, among others, this is the time to welcome the cooler autumn weather.

For those living near the equator, in places like Quito, Ecuador or Singapore, none of this really matters. They have about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night throughout the year.

“KORÇA BOOM”