March 20 2026 14:46 UT1
#Sun crosses #celestialequator heading northward,
#vernalequinox in #northernhemisphere
Our #daylight periods will continue to lengthen until #summersolstice; in the
#southernhemissphere, the #seasons are reversed.
composite photograph courtesy Tunç Tezel/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
#astronomy #astrophotography #calendar #equinox #timekeeping #solstice
#AutumnEquinox 2:19 PM EDT (18:19 UTC) Sept 22, 2025
#Sun crosses #celestialequator heading south, ushering in #northernhemisphere #fall (#southernhemisphere #spring)
Fewer trees would make a more impressive #sunrise at #universityofmassachusettsamherst Sunwheel
For those who celebrate, may you rejoice in the #WinterSolstice promise of new days.
Today at 4:21 AM US EST, the #Sun reached its point farthest south of the #celestialequator, giving the #northernhemisphere its shortest daylight period.
#winter #solstice #astronomy #calendar
photograph courtesy of birgl via Pixabay
Today, on the #September #equinox, the #Sun rose due #east and set due #west
At
12:44 UTC
08:44 US EDT
the #Sun crossed the #celestialequator heading #south, beginning of #northernhemispher #autumn (#fall).
#astronomy #calendar #timekeeping #autumnalequinox #septemberequinox
public domain image courtesy of Divad (2010) via Wikimedia Commons
For those who celebrate, may you find your #balance in #nature 's balance. Happy #VernalEquinox!
March 20, 2024 03:06 UTC
March 19, 2024 11:06 PM US EDT
The #Sun crosses the #celestialequator heading #north, marking the beginning of northern #Spring. Right ascension, or celestial meridians, are measured eastward from this intersection.
Why talk about the #FullMoon nearest to the #VernalEquinox? This calculation for #KrononautMoon is simpler and less dependent on human calendars. It's based on nature — the #Sun crossing the #CelestialEquator from south to north.
A #KrononautMoon will almost always occur between March 6 and April 3. We needn't know what month it is, only when the spring equinox is. Our website (in beta) lists dates thru the next decade, including a #TotalLunarEclipse in 2025.
“The March equinox is the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator—an imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator—from south to north. This happens on March 19, 20, or 21 every year.”
In Los Angeles, California, USA: Monday, March 20, 2023 at 2:24 pm PDT
This corresponds to Monday, March 20, 2023 at 21:24 UTC.
Should I wait 5 more hours before I bid you Happy Spring? Naaaa, we are close enough.
Happy Spring!
Jennifer Lynn Bartlett
Jennifer Lynn Bartlett moved
The Krononaut Moon Project 🌑
Susan A. Kitchens