World News – CA – This is the date and time of the spring equinox in 2021 – and why it marks the start of the season

E-mails relating to unlogged November meetings warned the Scottish government that it could face allegations of “failed cover-up” in the Salmond case

The temperature is getting a little warmer and the flowers are starting to bloom, indicating that spring is fast approaching in Scotland

The spring equinox – also known as the spring equinox or March equinox – officially marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere

So what is the spring equinox, what does it mean and when is it in 2021?

The word equinox comes from the Latin words aequi and means “equal” and nox, which means “night” and becomes “same night”

The spring equinox is essentially just that, as the length of day and night is nearly the same around the world – 12 hours

Because of this tilt – which is about 234 degrees – as our planet goes around the sun, different parts are exposed to more and less sunlight, which causes the different seasons

During the autumn and spring equinoxes, the inclination of the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun’s rays

This means that the sun shines directly on the equator and illuminates the northern and southern hemispheres equally

While this marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, it marks the beginning of autumn in the southern hemisphere

The spring equinox brings longer hours of daylight and warmer temperatures in the northern hemisphere, along with softer winds and sprouting plants

As the sun crosses the equator and is further north in the sky, there are more hours of daylight

In countries south of the equator like Australia, the opposite season occurs – later sunrises, earlier sunsets, colder winds and falling leaves

As the northern hemisphere turns more towards the sun, the southern hemisphere tilts away from it, causing the onset of autumn and the colder temperatures

The spring equinox has been celebrated by different cultures for centuries as it has become a symbol of rebirth, fertility and new beginnings

It always falls towards the end of March, anytime between the 19th and 21 of the month

In 2021, astronomers predicted that the phenomenon would occur on the morning of Jan. March will occur

On this day, the official time for the start of astronomical spring is 9:37 a.m. GMT (5:37 a.m. EDT)

Spring then lasts until the summer solstice – the longest day of the year – which is Monday the 21st June 2021 falls

The Met Office states that the meteorological seasons consists of dividing the seasons into four periods made up of three months

“These seasons are divided to coincide with our Gregorian calendar, which makes it easier for meteorological observation and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics,” says the forecaster

Spring Equinox 2021