SPRING BEGINS TODAY AT 6:45 PM EDT. This is the precise moment when the Sun is centered on the VERNAL EQUINOX. The vernal equinox is actually a location in the starry sky, the origin of the coordinate system of the celestial sphere. The place of the vernal equinox is where the celestial equator (0 degrees of declination) intersects with 0 hours of right ascension. The day when the Sun passes this point is also commonly known as the “vernal equinox,” and is considered to be the beginning of the seasonal new year, the first day of spring for the northern hemisphere.
