squidpants

so spring came a day early this year. not because it was unseasonably warm, but because the night and day were of equal lenght on the 20th and not the 21st, as usually happens. At least that's what says the Paris Observatory, via Agence France Presse:

PARIS (AFP) - Spring officially started a day ahead of schedule in the northern hemisphere, with the equinox occurring on Sunday rather than Monday, the Paris observatory said.

March 21 is generally held to be the date of the spring equinox -- or correspondingly the autumn equinox in the southern hemisphere -- but this year day and night were of equal length on Sunday, March 20.

The observatory said that since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the spring equinox can fall on either March 19, 20, or 21.

The last time it fell on March 19 was in 1796, and it is due to do so again in 2044.

The spring equinox is the day when the sun rises precisely in the east, travels for 12 hours through the sky and then sets directly in the west.

It is celebrated as the ancient pagan festival of the New Year or Newroz in Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.

Here's the link, with a picture of the US Capitol and the cherry blossoms.