Not quite Spring

Although all the white daisies are out in Kommetjie and Spring Day has been celebrated everywhere, it is in fact not Spring and will not be until 22h24 on 22 September, which is the vernal equinox of the southern hemisphere. So we can be forgiven for thinking that winter is still upon us, even if only for a few more weeks.

The term equinox, as you all know, comes from the Latin and means equal night. However, a day is measured from the time the upper edge of the sun rises above the horizon at dawn until the upper edge sinks below the horizon at sunset, and so the day is fractionally longer than the night. Scientific measurement of daylight from the geometric centre of the sun will reveal true equinox, but we are always so excited to see the sun come up and reluctant to see it go down that we mere mortals prefer a more romantic version.

Equinox happens at the moment that the sun passes the celestial equator, an imaginary line extending from Earth out into space, and this year it occurs on 22 September. The alternative dates are 23 and 24 September depending on various astronomical circumstances, so it is best to check your calendar every year if you like to be precise.

But all this aside, I for one am more than ready to welcome Spring even if the celebrations start a little early. It seems that our winters start later every year anyway, so it all compensates in the end.