Home >> Science & Nature >> Astronomy

How to Locate the Vernal Equinox

Two times a year the sun's center is at the same level as the Earth's equator. The result is that day and night are approximately an equal 12 hours each. This isn't specific to an area of the Earth, but is consistent throughout the entire globe. The vernal equinox, usually referred to as the March equinox, marks the first day of the spring season for those in the northern hemisphere. The time of the vernal equinox is always between March 19 and March 21, according to Greenwich Mean Time, but an online calculator can translate this for other time zones.

Instructions

- 1
  Visit an online website listing the future vernal equinox times. You can find a list at the website of the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory. You can also look at the table on the Seasky website or at the Farmers Almanac website, all of which use data compiled from NASA and are accurate within an hour.
- 2
  Use the seasons calculator at the Time and Date website. Select the years from the drop-down menu, then choose your location from the "Location" list. Press "Show seasons" for a breakdown of the time for the vernal equinox. If you don't see your city listed, choose a city that is in the same time zone.
- 3
  Visit the Atmospheric Ocean model website of NASA to use their calculator. There are three blank spaces provided at the bottom of the page. Enter the starting year in the first blank, the ending year in the second blank and then the yearly increment in space number three. For instance, type "2011," then "2020" and then "1" if you want a breakdown of the vernal equinox every year between 2011 and 2020. Click "Submit" once you are ready.

Astronomy