Well, I should have googled it instead of trusting my own (faulty) memory. The date of the spring equinox changes a lot more than I realized, and it isn't always the 21st. In fact it won't be the 21st again in my lifetime!
Thanks to Anvilcloud for sending me back to Google. My head is now spinning with facts and figures about the Gregorian calendar, which is the one used by the modern world. The root of the problem is that the earth rotates around the sun once every 365.25 days, not precisely every 365 days. To keep it simple, the extra quarter day is added in the form of a Leap Year every four years. That keeps things balanced out, and is about the limit of my understanding.
We owe this complex system to Pope Gregory XIII, way back in 1582. He modified the previous Julian Calendar to create a new set of rules in order to keep the date of Easter closer to the actual spring equinox.
So I did check back, and I was right originally about spring starting on the 19th, but that was just a brain fart, thinking that Tuesday was the 21st - correct but by accident. Now it's correct because I took the time to look it up!
However, my original point remains true. The equinox is typically described with the words "spring has finally sprung." I have trouble with that when I look out my window to see it snowing. And with that I have probably kicked a dead horse enough!
For anyone interested, the next time the spring equinox does fall on the 21st is in 2101.
Well here in my part of the UK we've enjoyed springtime rain showers but some good sunny spells too.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
We’ve had snow then rain continuously this past week. Ugh in any season!
ReplyDeleteWe got a lot of rain yesterday, but you know what they say about flowers and rain. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, this Equinox Solstice stuff can be very confusing at times and I find for me at this age now it doesnt take much to confuse myself. Now, is it the left shoe that goes on the right foot or is it.....??
ReplyDeleteI seem to also have a vague recollection that every 400 years or something like that, we don't do leap year because it's a bit of an overcorrection. But I am passing by and am not going to look it up right now. It is just some vague in my head, and it could be wrong. lol
ReplyDeleteWell, I just learned something new. While the snow has mostly disappeared here, it is still winter and will be for a few weeks yet.
ReplyDeleteno worries...i too thought it was the 21st!!
ReplyDeleteIrrespective of the date, spring is here -- daffodils in bloom, Canada geese incubating eggs, wood frogs are done laying their eggs and the woodcock are back.
ReplyDelete