Today marks the spring equinox as the sun will cross the celestial equator – a line directly above Earth’s equator – at 10:06 p.m.
The March equinox marks the sun’s crossing above Earth’s equator, moving from south to north. Earth’s tilt on its axis is what causes this northward shift of the sun’s path across our sky at this time of year. Earth’s tilt is now bringing spring and summer to the Northern Hemisphere.
At the same time, the March equinox marks the beginning of autumn – and a shift toward winter – in the Southern Hemisphere.
The March equinox is known as the vernal equinox (spring equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and as the autumnal equinox (autumn equinox) or fall equinox in the Southern Hemisphere.
