New Google Doodle on Friday welcomed the spring equinox, a celestial event which marks the beginning of spring in many cultures. The term ‘Spring Equinox’ comes from the Latin word ‘equi’, meaning equal, and ‘nox’, meaning night. March 20 marks the arrival of the spring season in the northern hemisphere. On the equinox, people all over the world experience a day and night of equal length — almost exactly 12 hours. Besides, March 20 is also referred to as the vernal or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the fall or autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere.
The earth has seasons because the planet is tilted on its axis, which results in each hemisphere receiving more direct light at opposite times of the year. But on the equinox, the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun. An equinox occurs two times in a year when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator.
Friday’s Google doodle illustrates the spring season with an endearing animated doodle of a flower blooming on mother earth. This Spring Equinox is extra special as the full moon is coinciding with it, a rare astronomical coincidence. While it is generally said that on an equinox the day and the night are of equal length but it may not hold true for all locations on earth
Sky-watchers will get to gaze at the “Super worm moon” on Friday, which will also be the last supermoon of 2019. Therefore, for those who couldn’t get enough of February’s “super snow moon” or January’s “super blood wolf moon” eclipse, the “super worm moon” will be the last opportunity for a while to see a supermoon.
According to astronomy, the Spring equinox marks one of the four major turning points in Earth’s cycle of seasons. We observe these annual changes because the Earth is tilted on its axis so that for most of the year, one hemisphere or the other is closer to the sun and is experiencing longer days.
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