Spring Equinox

The first day of spring is officially here (also known as the spring equinox)! The spring equinox marks one of the two times a year when day and night are nearly the same length. This phenomenon occurs when the center of the sun is directly above Earth’s equator. The spring equinox signals that the Northern Hemisphere of the planet has begun slowly tilting toward the sun, leading to longer days and more sunlight. It officially starts today at 5:58 p.m. est. Spring equinox does not always fall on the same day. However, it does always occur in the Northern Hemisphere on March 19, 20 or 21. This date changes from year to year to account for the fact that the Earth doesn’t take exactly 365 days to make a complete revolution around the sun.

Super Worm Equinox Moon

Tonight is also the first time the super worm equinox moon (quite an unfortunate name) has fallen on the spring equinox in 38 years! This supermoon’s peak takes place today at 9:43 p.m. ET, just a few hours after the official start of spring even though it officially started yesterday afternoon. Supermoons appear larger and brighter in the night sky, and, therefore, can be seen by the naked eye and don’t require any special equipment.

Here’s where you can see what times the supermoon will reach you.

It also goes live at 12:30 est in Italy here.