First day of spring (here in the Northern hemisphere). Also called the spring equinox, or vernal equinox. The word equinox means equal night. Here on the Left coast, the exact time (when the sun crosses the equator) is > 5:07 PM (8:07 Eastern). Nature lovers the world over will be out celebrating, banging their drums and enjoying the day. I'm gonna try for a bike ride later, ~ 5PM, so I'll be out at the exact moment. (I don't have a drum, but I'll find something to bang on.) Perhaps I should note that day & night are not exactly equal on the equinox .. for reasons detailed here > US Naval Observatory, and also at National Geographic. ••• today's entry continues here ••• Interestingly, the earth is actually closest to the sun on January 3rd (called perigee & perihelion, 91.4 million miles away), and it's furthest from the sun on July 4th (called apogee & aphelion, 94.5 million miles away). So distance to the sun seems to have little effect on seasons & temperature. See here > Windows to the Universe Good day to get out for a walk. You know what Nietzsche said: All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking. Today's perfect balance of day & night (equi-nox) allows you to balance an egg on end (today & autumn equinox only). By the way, regarding previous entry (18.march), I had no coffee today. That's one day and counting. Feeling mellow, serene. No headache (yet). For more on this subject, here is a Google search pre-configured for the query > spring vernal equinox |
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