Am I the only person who had no idea the first official hour of Spring was so complicated? =)
I thought it was always March 21st?
A few blogs mentioned the first day of Spring on Sunday March 20!
and I thought… hm… they must not know that it is always March 21st…
(ha ha ha ha ha… that is me laughing at myself)
I googled it… and here is what I found on www.wiki.answers.com
SO Technical!
Astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere as defined by the International Astronomical Union begins with the
Vernal Equinox on March 20, 2011, at 7:21 p.m. EDT.
At the start of spring (spring equinox), day and night are approximately 12 hours long (at the equatorial plane) and the Sun is at the midpoint of the sky. Our north pole tilts towards the Sun.
First day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere
In general, the four seasons correspond to the relative position of the sun to the earth. Meteorological determination of spring is calculated according to when the sun passes through the equatorial plane. When going from winter to spring, the sun is moving north; as soon as the sun crosses the equator, we call it spring. (This applies to places north of the equator.)
First day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere
The “official” date of spring south of the equator (official is corresponding to the first day of fall in places north of the equator) would be around September 20/21, depending on when the sun crosses the equator.
Countries such as Australia and New Zealand, however, designate the first day of September as the official first day of spring (climatological counterpart). Preference between these two methods varies across Europe. Many east Asian countries use lunar dates to determine the beginning of spring.
In Addition
The climatological spring as defined by the World Meteorological Organization began on March 1, 2011.
The ecological spring begins locally with the beginning of the growing season. Usually in temperate climates when the mean daily temperature reaches 6 degrees C/42 degrees F. This can be as early as February in mild climates. and as late as April or May in cool climates.
CRAZY… Who knew it was SO complicated!!??
No Matter… Signs of Spring are everywhere…
and it makes my heart sing!
Here is what we did on the first official day of Spring!
the sun was trying to shine on Sunday…
March 20th… the real first day of Spring!! (snicker snicker)
we were all happy to be out in …not so wet weather
look at how happy Merlin is!!
that is how I feel… he he…. =)
Ah… swing weather!!
Abby does NOT like having her picture taken these days…
it is hard to catch her smile on camera… little stinker! =)
and I get a lot of cheesy grins out of this happy guy…
I’ll take it!! =)
Isn’t it Funny how Spring puts a bounce in your step…
A Smile on your face … (ha! caught her smiling with teeth!! )
Spring kinda makes you feel like you are on top of the world!
or King of the Mountain…. =)
it makes you love the color pink all over again
and warms up your heart
and makes you want to sing
even though you sing off key
and you might scare the neighbors
Funny what a little tiny bit of sunshine and a few blossoms will do to ya!
I love Spring…
Spring = Hope that Summer is on it’s way!
The first day of Spring marks 91 more days until the first day of summer! =)
(I think I need a vacation somewhere sunny?! *sigh* if only!! =))
How about you?
What did you do on the first day of Spring??
do you all know that pink is supposed to be a very relaxing color
and I think I heard that it provides the perfect learning environment for your mind??? I will have to google that! =)
Blessings~
Jennaflower
(one of my favorite nick names…) =)
PS My hubby went jogging later that day… you know… the first day of Spring… Sunday… March 20! (ha ha) Anyway… he kicked a soccer ball around for a while as well … warming up his skills for coaching 10-11 year old girls… and … um… he sprained his ankle!! ouch! Please pray it heals nicely… and quickly… he needs that ankle!! oh dear! =)
and the spacing in wordpress is NOT co-operating with me today!! grrrr….
so …I apologize for the compact, crowded, claustrophobic feeling… =)
hello… Spring… help… I am feeling a little crabby after writing this post!
ha ha!
Hope Spring is putting a bounce in your step… and a smile on your face! =)
March 22nd, 2011 saat: 10:59 am
looks like a fun way to celebrate spring (well not your husband’s way, but the kids). I can’t believe your dog is playing on the equipment. Merlin is a hoot!
March 22nd, 2011 saat: 11:41 am
Poor hubby’s foot! I hope it gets better, soon. Fun pictures, too!
March 22nd, 2011 saat: 12:55 pm
Complicated! I guess so! Geez! I didn’t know!
Spring- HA! We are supposed to get 6 inches of snow tonight!!!
I think you should give the satin pillow another try! haha!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
March 22nd, 2011 saat: 1:11 pm
Love the pretty pink buds on the trees…we won’t see that for a while here…we are still digging out of the snow! however, i did see the first Robin of the year today 🙂
March 22nd, 2011 saat: 7:09 pm
I love you lesson on spring! Thankyou…also your pictures of the “signs of spring”…love em. Are those cherry blossoms? We really have none of that on our side of the state yet!!
Thanks for you comment today. I am such a “phase” blogger. ANd right now I’m not in the “phase”! ha I’ve been knitting. Isn’t that hilarious. But I always get the urge in February and knit up a few things and then put it all down for another year. Well…my little sis is pregnant so I’ve been knitting all kinds of baby hats and booties. It’s so fun, I’m having a hard time putting it down.
Hey…since I’ve turned this into a letter instead of a comment I’ll just go with it! Have you ever read Ann Voskamp@ A Holy Experience?? I’ve read her blog for 10 years!! I just ordered her 1000 gifts book and it is mind blowing and just amazing. I can feel a change comin’ on! 😉
March 23rd, 2011 saat: 4:03 am
I actually did know about it, but only b/c my sis’s birthday is the 20th. Some years her birthday was the 1st day of Spring. Some years it wasn’t. As kids, we always thought that was funny/weird. 🙂
Beautiful captures, Jenn!
March 23rd, 2011 saat: 6:02 pm
I’m jealous of *your* signs of Spring, ours was another half foot of snow. Ugh. Interesting to know how detailed the timing is though, all I knew was the 20th (although I did actually think it was the 21st too for awhile.) 🙂