The number n for the date of the equinox. The position of the sun on the days of the solstice. Spring equinox in Japan
March
June
September
December
Equinox - the moment when the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator.
The vernal equinox comes either March 21, when the Sun passes from the southern hemisphere to the northern, and autumn - or September 23, when it moves from the northern to the southern. These days, for all places on Earth (excluding the areas of the Earth's poles), the day is almost equal to night ("Almost" - due to refraction, the fact that the Sun is not a point source of light, but a disk, and also due to the fact that the moment of the equinox itself is offset from 6 or 18 hours of local solar time). On the days of the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox, the Sun rises almost exactly in the east and sets almost exactly in the west. Whereas after the vernal equinox (in the northern hemisphere) it rises north of the east and sets north of the west, and after the autumn equinox it rises south of the east and sets south of the west.
The points of intersection of the celestial equator with the ecliptic are called equinox points. Due to the ellipticity of its orbit, the Earth moves from the point of the autumnal equinox to the spring one rather than from the point of spring to the point of autumn. Due to the precession of the earth's axis mutual arrangement the equator and ecliptic are slowly changing; this phenomenon is called the anticipation of the equinoxes. Over the course of a year, the position of the equator changes so that the Sun arrives at the equinox 20 minutes 24 seconds earlier than the Earth completes its full orbit. As a result, the position of the equinox points on the celestial sphere changes. From the vernal equinox point, right ascensions are counted along the celestial equator, longitudes along the ecliptic. Determining the position of this fictitious point on the celestial sphere is one of the main tasks of practical astronomy.
The spring and autumn equinoxes are considered the astronomical beginning of the seasons of the same name. The interval between the two equinoxes of the same name is called the tropical year, which is taken to measure time. The tropical year is approximately 365.2422 solar days, so the equinox falls at different times of the day, moving forward almost 6 hours each time. The Julian year contains 365¼ days. A plug-in day of a leap year returns the equinox to the previous number of the year. But the tropical year is slightly less than the Julian year, and the equinox is actually slowly receding in numbers. julian calendar... In the Gregorian chronology, due to the omission of 3 days in 400 years, it is almost motionless (the Gregorian year averages 365.2425 days).
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See what "Vernal Equinox Day" is in other dictionaries:
Day of spring equinox - The time when the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator is called the equinox. At this time, the Earth is in such a position in relation to the Sun when both hemispheres, from the equator to the poles, are heated ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers
Astronomical spring, or the day of the vernal equinox - March 21 is the day of the onset of the astronomical spring, it is also called the day of the vernal equinox. At this time, the Earth is in such a position in relation to the Sun when both hemispheres, from the equator to the poles, are heated relatively equally. ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers
Autumn equinox day - September 23, 2013 at 00 hours 44 minutes Moscow time (Moscow time) the Sun will once again cross the celestial equator and move from the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere to the southern. The day of the autumnal equinox will come astronomical autumn in ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers
Autumn equinox day (holiday) - Day of the autumnal equinox - the time of commemoration of deceased relatives and visiting their graves. Day of the autumnal equinox (jap. 秋分 の 日 xu: bun no hi ... Wikipedia
Greenery day - (Japanese み ど り の 日 Midori no hi?) Japanese national holiday. Since 2007, celebrated on May 4; in 1989 2006, celebrated on April 29. Part of the Japanese Golden Week. Until 1989, April 29 was the birthday of Emperor Showa ... ... Wikipedia
Coming of majority day - (Japanese 成人 の 日 seijin no hi?) is a Japanese national holiday celebrated on the second Monday of January (one of the "Happy Mondays"). On this day, all Japanese, who turned 20 over the past year, celebrate their ... ... Wikipedia
Labor Thanksgiving Day - Labor Thanksgiving Day is an echo of the traditional Japanese holiday of thanksgiving for the harvest Thanksgiving Labor Day ... Wikipedia
This year, March 20 is the day of the vernal equinox. At 13:29 Moscow time, the Sun crosses the celestial equator in its apparent movement along the ecliptic. The duration of the day and night is the same throughout the Earth and equals 12 hours. The celestial equator is the projection of the earth's equator onto the sphere of fixed stars infinitely distant from us.
The sun does not move along the celestial equator, otherwise the day would be equal to night every day, - says Alexander Bagrov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - No, the Sun is moving along the ecliptic, slightly tilted. When the star rises above the ecliptic, we have a long day. When it gets lower, the nights are long. And only at the moment when the Sun passes through the celestial equator, day is equal to night. Therefore, the event is called the equinox, in contrast to the summer and winter solstices.
In the last two events, as the astronomer explains, the Sun is located as far as possible from the celestial equator. And then it turns out the longest day of the year - in the summer. Or the longest night is in winter.
The spring equinox from ancient times symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle in nature. And also new beginnings in people's lives. From the point of view of astrology, for example, the date of the vernal equinox is the day when the Sun enters 0 degrees of Aries. This point is the beginning of the Zodiac. Once upon a time the Sun on the day of the vernal equinox really rose against the background of the constellation Aries, but over time, the equinox point has shifted, and now it is actually in the constellation Pisces. Since the signs of the zodiac are not associated with the constellations, although they bear their names, the first sign of the zodiac, as before, is called Aries.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring, and has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth, says the candidate historical sciences, lecturer at Moscow State University Boris Manevich. - This is a day of balance between day and night, light and darkness. In many cultures and religions, various holidays were timed to coincide with the vernal equinox. On this day, it was customary to conduct all kinds of magical rituals. For example, after a series of preparations, plant seeds in a pot and make a wish. Then the seeds had to be carefully and for a long time to look after, so that they germinate and bear fruit. It was believed that with the appearance of fruits, desires are fulfilled.
Magic is a spawn human consciousness... Simply put - fiction, - astronomer Alexander Bagrov is skeptical. - You have to understand that people have been engaged in agriculture or hunting. Both were closely related to the seasons. Either the flight of birds begins, then it is time to plow the land - in general, the time had to be counted somehow. Observations helped in this countdown. For example, March 20 is day equal to night. Aha, there is a starting point! From this moment, the day will be longer than the night, you need to get the plow, and after plowing, sowing.
As the scientist explained, science now, unfortunately, does not know everything. And in ancient times she knew even less. Therefore, people built all sorts of guesses, backed them up with rituals, which filled the void of scientific knowledge.
Events that are easily explainable now - for example, the same spring equinox - were given a certain magical meaning, people believed their own inventions, - explained Bagrov. “But we cannot repeat their mistakes.
The spring and autumn equinox is an astronomical phenomenon in which day equals night, they mark the changing seasons. We know that the vernal and autumnal equinoxes occur at the moment when our Sun, in its annual movement along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator. These points, respectively, are in the constellations of Pisces and Virgo. The vernal equinox is the beginning of the astronomical spring.
On the days of the solstices, our daylight reaches the extreme points of its annual path across the sky - in summer it deviates 23.4 degrees north from the celestial equator, in winter - 23.4 degrees south. Therefore, in June, the Sun illuminates the northern hemisphere of the Earth more - and at the moment of the solstice summer begins here, and at the end of December - the southern one, and at this time we have winter (and summer in the southern hemisphere).
Below you can see the exact dates of the spring and autumn equinoxes for the city of Moscow, just like the winter and summer solstices.
| event | date Time |
| Spring equinox | 20 march at 19:15 tue |
| Summer solstice | June 21 at 13:07 th |
| Autumn equinox | 23 September at 04:54 Sun |
| Winter solstice | 22 december at 01:22 sat |
These dates were among the most revered in the pre-Christian period. Solstice, brace, equinox, solstice are the names of solar holidays, which are also called the four hypostases of the Slavic Dazhdbog, which is the Sun itself - the son of Svarog.
Kolyada - winter solstice (December 21-22);
- Shrovetide or Komoeditsy - the day of the vernal equinox (March 21-22);
- Kupailo (Kupala) - summer solstice (June 21-22);
- Radogosh (Svetovit, Veresen, Tausen) - autumn equinox (September 22-23);
Kolyada is the winter solstice or the longest night of the year. During this period, the young sun Kolyada replaces the old sun Svetovita at the post. That is why the daylight hours from this day begins to increase. Replaced by the church on Christmas Day.
Shrovetide or Komoeditsy - the day of the vernal equinox (day and night are equal in time), farewell to winter, burning of a scarecrow of Marena, meeting of spring and the Slavic New Year. The date March 21-22 is also the beginning of the astronomical spring. From this day on, the day becomes longer than the night. Yarilo-Sun replaces Kolyada and banishes Winter-Marena. Traditionally, this brace was celebrated for two whole weeks.
Kupailo is the day of the summer solstice. Longest day and shortest night of the year. The last day of the Merry Week or Rusal. Kupala is one of the oldest holidays, which has kept many traditions and customs unchanged to this day, for example: the funeral of Yarila, who is replaced by the God of the summer sun Kupala, the collection of medicinal herbs, the search for a fern flower, etc. Kupailo is also a great holiday, which is now replaced by the church on the birthday of John the Baptist.
Radogosh (Svetovit, Veresen, Tausen) - the day of the autumn equinox (day and night are equal in time). On this day, the Sun-Old Man Svetovit takes over. The night is getting longer than the day. It is both a sunny holiday and the end of the harvest. Replaced by a church for the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Equinox and solstice by year:Equinox is the time when day is equal to night. The moment the Sun crosses the equator from south to north is the vernal equinox, and from north to south it is the autumnal one. At this time, the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator. The word comes from the Latin equi or equal and the Greek nyx, or Latin nox, which means equal night.
Equinoxes and Solstices
Equinoxes occur at the intersection of the ecliptic and the celestial equator. On September 23, the Sun moves down from the celestial equator and crosses it - the autumn equinox, and on March 21 when it moves up - the spring equinox. These days the axis of the Earth is not tilted towards the Sun or far from it, and therefore the circle of illumination cuts all latitudes in half, which leads to the same duration of this day throughout the Earth.
In both cases, the solar circle of illumination conventionally bisects the equator. The Equator is an imaginary line with a latitude of 0 degrees that divides the planet into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. This is the only place on earth where day is always night, every day of the year.
The Earth is tilted, the maximum angular deviation to the Sun is 23.5 degrees. The day of June 21 with a positive deflection of the Sun relative to the celestial equator is called the summer solstice, and December 21 with a negative deflection is the winter solstice.
Simply put, the equinox represents the days when the day is equal to the night (March 21 and September 23), the solstice is the shortest (December 21) and long days (21st of June).
Equinoxes, along with solstices, are directly related to the seasons of the year.
Equinox - the name is deceiving
If the Earth's axis were perpendicular to its orbital plane, the entire Earth would have an equal length of day and night. A real sunny day has different lengths, with fluctuations up to 15 minutes.
There are three reasons for this temporary difference:
- The movement of the Earth around the Sun is not a perfect circle, but eccentric.
- The apparent movement of the Sun is not parallel to the celestial equator.
- The phenomenon of the precession of the Earth's axis.
In addition, the Earth carries out two different types of motion:
- around the Sun in a fixed orbit, a journey that takes exactly 365.26 days (year);
- around its axis - forming day and night.
It takes not exactly 24 hours to complete one daily turnover, as we used to think, but 23.93 hours.
The earth is spherical, so half facing the sun is illuminated, while the other half is at night. The day / night cycle is continuous, with the exception of the earth's poles, where day and night are considered to last six months.
In fact, they are not, they are not equal. Just as the conventional wisdom regarding the equator, where day is equal to night all year round, is incorrect, then at the equator one would expect the Sun to rise at 6:00 AM and set at 6:00 PM. In fact, it rises at the equator at 6:03 am in July, at 6:11 am in February, 5:53 am in May, and 5:40 am in late October.
This actual "non-equinox" phenomenon is caused by the Earth's axis being tilted at 23.4 degrees. The "inequality" of day and night is also influenced by the phenomenon of refraction. Refraction - the refraction of sunlight through the atmosphere, which visually prolongs the day. Because of this phenomenon, the top edge of the Sun can be seen even if it is just below the horizon. For example, it is usually seen in the morning a few minutes before the actual sunrise. This phenomenon is influenced by atmosphere pressure and temperature.
Therefore, the real duration of the "day" for the North Pole reaches 193 days, and nights - up to 172 days and, accordingly, for South Pole - 172 days are day and 193 days are night.
Earth precession motion
Due to the very slow movement of the firmament (in fact, the earth's axis is moving), the equinox Sun, when day is equal to night, moves from one zodiac sign to another about every 2160 years, completing the entire revolution in about 25.920 years. This very slow movement of the firmament is called the precession of the equinoxes. The precession of the equinoxes is the movement of the Earth that results in a change in the orientation of the rotation of the axis.
The first estimate of the earth's precession was made by Hipparchus in 130 BC. e.
The Earth's axis precesses due to the superposition of such factors:
- Its shape is not absolutely spherical (it is a flattened spheroid protruding at the equator).
- The gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the equatorial ledge are trying to return it to the plane of the ecliptic.
Consequences of precession:
- displacement of the equinoxes;
- moving celestial poles;
- displacement of astrological zodiacal constellations.
The daytime and nighttime equinoxes are not the same length; their date varies with latitude.
The forces of nature are harmonious and consistent. The ancients were very attentive to the seasons and the position of the Sun in the sky, because their lives depended on the timely planting and harvesting.
Our ancestors have long celebrated the days of solstice and equinox as special holidays, when day is equal to night. Many great Orthodox holidays are still in the immediate vicinity of these dates: Christmas (winter solstice) and Easter (spring equinox).
There are four points in the annual cycle that play a significant role in life on Earth.
People have long known about the existence of these transition points, but the physical essence of these phenomena became clear only with development. We are talking about two solstices (winter and summer) and two equinoxes (spring and autumn).
What is Solstice?
At the everyday level, we understand that the solstice is the day with the longest (summer solstice) or shortest (winter solstice) daylight hours. Our distant ancestors knew well that before the winter solstice the day is shrinking, and after it it starts to increase. In the summer, everything happens the other way around. It was also noticed that on the day of the winter solstice, the sun occupies the lowest position above the horizon, and at the time of the summer solstice it passes the highest point for the entire year.
What is happening to our planet and the Sun from a scientific point of view? Let's recall some astronomical concepts.
Celestial sphere - an imaginary surface that we look at while on Earth and examining the sky. For us, terrestrial observers, it is along the celestial sphere that all celestial objects move, including the Sun.
Ecliptic - a circle located on the celestial sphere, along which the Sun moves relative to the Earth.
celestial sphere - a circle located perpendicularly on the celestial sphere coincides with the equator of the Earth.
Due to the fact that the axis of the Earth is tilted to the orbit of the planet around our star, the equator of the celestial sphere and the ecliptic do not coincide. Due to this, the seasons change from the moments of transition - the solstices.
On the day of the solstice, the Sun passes through the points of the ecliptic farthest from the celestial equator. Otherwise, it can be expressed as follows: the solstices are the moments of the greatest (in winter) or the smallest (in summer) deviation of the earth's axis from the Sun.
Winter and summer solstice
The winter solstice occurs on December 21st or 22nd (the date may differ for different time zones). On this day, the northern hemisphere has the shortest daylight hours and the longest night. The summer solstice falls on June 21 and differs in that this date has the longest daylight hours and the fastest night. 
In the southern hemisphere, the opposite processes take place: there in December the summer solstice occurs, and in June - the winter solstice.
What is Equinox?
There are two more important points in the annual cycle - the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes. These days the Sun passes the points of intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic. The days of the equinoxes fall in the middle of the period from one solstice to the next (although due to the fact that the earth moves around the Sun not in a circle, but along an ellipse, the dates shift slightly).
The vernal equinox falls on March 20 or 21, and the autumn equinox falls on September 22 or 23. As the name suggests, equinoxes are times when the day is as long as night.
How do solstices and equinoxes affect life on Earth?
People have always known that critical points in the movement of our star across the celestial sphere affect nature. This is especially true for residents of northern latitudes, where the change of seasons is more pronounced. For example, from the day of the March equinox, real spring comes to us: it gets warmer, the soil warms up, plants come to life. This is of great importance for agriculture.
It is no coincidence that the agricultural calendar has always been associated with the days of the solstices and equinoxes. These dates were important pagan holidays, some of which were adopted by Christianity. These are the holidays:
Winter Solstice - Catholic Christmas and Kolyada;
Spring equinox - Shrovetide;
Summer solstice - the holiday of Ivan Kupala;
The autumnal equinox is a harvest festival. 
As you can see, even in the technocratic 21st century, we celebrate these events without even thinking that they are related to the annual solar cycle and how our ancestors were dependent on natural phenomena.
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