When the days start to get longer again and the first blossoms sprout, spring is just around the corner when the trees begin to bear their first tender green leaves.
On the one hand, there is the official beginning of spring. Although it does not strictly adhere to the calendar, this is often referred to as the calendrical beginning of spring. It should be called the astronomical beginning of spring because, in principle, it is based directly on the earth’s position about the sun and is, therefore, by definition, very reliable.
Then there is the phenological beginning of spring, which is based on natural phenomena – for example, the blossoming of snowdrops.
And then, there is also the meteorological beginning of spring on 01 March, which is arbitrarily determined for statistical purposes.
But of course, there is also the perceived beginning of spring – that is, the point in time when one has the very personal feeling of spring: “When is spring? Now is spring!”. The ‘spring feeling’ often co-occurs as phenomena in nature – quasi-parallel to the phenological beginning of spring.
When the first warm days tempt you to go for a walk, the first buds sprout, and the first birds sing, you can hardly resist a certain spring feeling.
Briefly on the connection between the calendar and astronomy: Astronomically, the beginning of spring and the Hermes is determined by the so-called equinox (equinox). The primary equinox (or primary day and night equinox) is the year when day and night are of equal length for the first time – spring then begins in the northern hemisphere, autumn in the southern hemisphere.
During the winter months, the nights are longer than the days. On the other hand, the days are longer than the nights during the summer months. However, on the day of the equinox, the period between sunrise and sunset (day) is just as long as the period between sunset and sunrise (night).
The time of the equinox is not always on the same day. The calendar date of the beginning of spring can therefore vary slightly – but it is usually on 20 March and rarely on 21 March. The last time the beginning of spring was on 21 March was in 2011. This year, 2022, the calendrical beginning of spring is on the 20th of March – from 2048 for the first time on 19 March.
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