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You are here: Home > Homeschool Astronomy > This Post

πŸ—“ 🌷 SPRING IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)

20 March 2022 by Bob O'Hara

Today is the March equinoxΒ β€” we call it the vernal or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere it’s the autumnal or fall equinox. The vernal equinox is (in astronomical terms) the first day of spring, just as the autumnal equinox is (in astronomical terms) the first day of fall.

❑ Little lessons: “β€˜Vernal’ and ‘autumnal’ are beautiful words. Let’s look them both up in our big dictionary.”

Whenever you’re investigating things temporal or calendrical, timeanddate.com is always a good place to start:

  • ➒ The March Equinox: Equal Day and Night, Nearly (timeanddate.com)

The seasons occur because the earth’s axis of daily rotation is not quite perpendicular to the plane of the earth’s annual orbit around the sun (it’s tilted by about 23ΒΊ). The two solstices occur at the points in the orbit when the north pole of the axis of rotation is tilted most directly away from the sun (in December, on the first day of northern-hemisphere winter) and most directly toward the sun (in June, on the first day of northern-hemisphere summer). The two equinoxes, in March and September, occur when the earth’s axis of rotation is “sideways” to the sun (so to speak), making the intervals of daylight and darkness equal (or nearly so).

The two equinoxes (March and September) and the two solstices (June and December) are defined with respect to the earth’s position in its annual orbit around the sun. (Image: timeanddate.com.)

NASA has a fun educational crossword puzzle for kids that’s filled with seasonal vocabularyΒ β€” solstices, equinoxes, and more.

Solstices, equinoxes, orbits, and more! A seasonal crossword puzzle for kids. (Image: NASA.)

You can print out your own copy at NASA’s “For Educators” website.

What calendrical events and astronomical alignments will you be marking in your homeschool this Leo Term? 😊

❑ Watchers of the skies: Teaching your students about the seasons and the stars is one of the simplest and most enduring gifts you can give them. Your recommended River Houses astronomy guide has descriptions and maps of all the constellations that point out the seasonal highlights, and the astronomical section of your recommended world atlas has beautiful large charts of both celestial hemispheres. Why not find a dark-sky spot near you this month and spend some quality homeschool time beneath the starry vault.Β πŸŒ Β πŸ”­Β πŸŒž

❑ Here, said the year: This is one of our regular posts on Homeschool Astronomy and on Homeschool Terms & Calendars. Add your name to our weekly mailing list and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the homeschool year.Β πŸ‚Β β›„οΈΒ πŸŒ·Β β›±

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Related Posts:

  • πŸ—“ β›± SUMMER IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)πŸ—“ β›± SUMMER IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)
  • πŸ—“ πŸ‚ FALL IS ON ITS WAY! (Astronomically Speaking)πŸ—“ πŸ‚ FALL IS ON ITS WAY! (Astronomically Speaking)
  • πŸ—“ ⛄️ HOMESCHOOL SEASONS: Winter is Here! (Astronomically Speaking)πŸ—“ ⛄️ HOMESCHOOL SEASONS: Winter is Here! (Astronomically Speaking)
  • 🐦 BIRD-FEEDING SEASON is Here! (And so is Project FeederWatch!)🐦 BIRD-FEEDING SEASON is Here! (And so is Project FeederWatch!)

Filed Under: Homeschool Astronomy, Homeschool Terms & Calendars

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