As we all know, the whole world is gripped with panic and fear of COVID-19 virus. The daily lifestyle is come to halt, more and more people are trying to work from home or simply keeping themselves inside. And no one is sure what will happen next considering the present circumstances. But for such times, Albus Dumbledore once said,
"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
Small, small daily celebrations can cheer up your world and can pull you out from all this despair and boredom.
And today, nature provided us with one of the reasons to celebrate, in fact, an Astronomical event!
Behold the March Equinox!
An Equinox is a day when the length of the day is equal to the length of the night. The actual word for this day is Aequinoctium, from Aequi (equal) and Noctium or Nox (night) in Latin. During this day, the Sun is exactly over the equator, also causing the Zero Shadow Day there. An Equinox happens 2 times in a year, once on 20th March (March Equinox) and again on 22nd September (September Equinox).
In Nothern Hemisphere, the March and September Equinox are known as Vernal Equinox and Autumnal Equinox respectively. In Southern Hemisphere, the reverse is true.
Now, Equinox happens when the Sun, following the Ecliptic (the mean path which Sun, Moon and Planets follow), crosses the Celestial Equator (an imaginary line which lies in the same plane of the Earth's Equator) on the Celestial Sphere. The positions of Equinox were earlier located in the constellation of Aries and Libra. However, due to the axial precision of our planet, these positions slid into other constellations and now are located in Pieces and Virgo.
The Equinox is important as it marks the arrival of seasons. The March Equinox marks the arrival of Spring whereas the September Equinox marks the arrival of Autumn.
So, celebrate this arrival with a broad smile and a positive attitude.
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