Spring Marches In

March heralds the RETURN OF SPRING--which many consider the MOST IMPORTANT event of the month! We celebrate the Vernal Equinox on March 20, 05:37 am EDT. That's when the Earth is at its point in orbit where both hemispheres (north and south) of our precious planet receive equal amounts of sunlight. What else is March known for?

There's a common saying, "March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb." A typical explanation is that it is meteorological, but the real answer is due to the heavens above. At the beginning of March, rising (entering the sky) in the east is Leo, the Lion. Across the sky, in the west, setting peacefully into the warm embrace of the Sun, is Aries, a ram, but also considered a lamb.

In March, daylight hours equal nighttime hours, and the Sun is in the constellation of Pisces, The Fish. [It used to be in the constellation of Aries, The Ram, and known as the "First Point of Aries" (defined in 130 BCE), but due to the effects of precession (a 25,800 year cycle involving the Earth), it is now situated in eastern Pisces, toward the border with the constellation of Aquarius (the dawning of the "Age of Aquarius" ;) ]

The peepers start "peeping" in March, and we start our plants (indoors) in anticipation of a bountiful harvest in the fall. It's also when we shrug off the winter load and rejoice in a new "awakening". A time of rebirth, when we look to the future, through tender little shoots poking out from the ground.

Oh, yeah, there's other celestial stuff, too! ;)

At the beginning of the month:  Sunrise: 6:26 am (EST) | Sunset: 5:42 pm (EST)

Spring Ahead: Sunday, March 14, 2021. Advance clocks 1 hour ahead.

At the end of the month: Sunrise: 6:35 am (EDT) | Sunset: 7:16 pm (EDT) (What a difference a month can make!)

Moon Phases:

• March 5: 8:30 pm (EST): Last Quarter Moon
• March 13: 05:21 am (EST): Full Moon
• March 21: 10:40 am (EDT); First Quarter Moon
• March 28: 02:48 pm (EDT): Full Moon

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ABOUT MR. MEREDITH:

Mark Meredith is a science teacher at the Talcott Mountain Science Center & Academy. He received his BSc in Computational and Applied Mathematics at the University of Connecticut in 1987.  At the Talcott Mountain Science Center, Mr. Meredith teaches hands-on physical science programs such as Astronomy, Robotics, Electronics, Ham Radio (school club W1TMS), and Physics. He has coached for the F.I.R.S.T robotics program, the F.I.R.S.T. Lego League and the Trinity College Home Firefighting Robot Competition. While at Talcott, he has “celebrated” -- 17.5 Martian years; 2.78 Jovian years; 1.12 Saturnian years ;)