Spring Equinox 2023: When Is It, and What is It?

Spring Equinox 2023: When Is It, and
                 What is It?

When Is The First Day of Spring in 2023?

The first day of spring is Monday, March 20, 2023, at 5:24 p.m. EDT. For those of
us in the Northern Hemisphere, this was marked by the arrival of the Vernal
Equinox (otherwise known as the “First Point of Aries“).

Traditionally, we celebrate the first day of spring on March 21, but astronomers and
calendar manufacturers alike now say that the spring season starts on March 20th,
in all time zones in North America. In 2020, spring fell on March 19th, the earliest
first day of spring in 124 years!

Regardless of what the weather is doing outside, spring equinox marks the official
start of the spring season. Get our official spring forecast.

What Does Vernal Equinox Mean?

Vernal translates to “new” and “fresh,” and equinox derived from the Latin aequus
(equal) and nox (night).

So what does that mean? Essentially, our hours of daylight—the period of time
each day between sunrise and sunset—have been growing slightly longer each
day since the winter solstice in December, which is the shortest day of the year (at
least in terms of light).

Even though we know that after December 21st, the days start getting steadily
longer, we still see more darkness than light over the course of a day in those
three months leading up to spring. The vernal equinox marks the turning point
when daylight begins to win out over darkness.

At this moment, the direct rays of the Sun are shining down on the equator
producing the effect of equal day and night (give or take a few minutes, see
below). After the vernal equinox, the direct rays of the Sun migrate north of the
Equator (with hours of daylight steadily growing longer) until they finally arrive at
the Tropic of the Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees north).

The migration of the Sun’s direct rays comes to a halt on that day; this is as far
north as they will go. We call this the summer solstice (solstice is a suspension of
the migration of the Sun’s direct rays). It is the longest day of the year in terms of
hours of daylight.

After the summer solstice, the direct rays proceed to head south and the days
begin to grow shorter. It will take another three months, until the autumnal equinox
for the periods of daylight and darkness to reach equilibrium once again.

The rays ultimately reach the Tropic of Capricorn (latitude 23.5 degrees south) on
the day of the winter solstice and the whole cycle begins again!

Length of Day Vs. Night
A question revolving around the vernal equinox concerns the length of day versus
night. We have been taught that on the first days of spring and autumn, the day
and night are equal to exactly 12 hours all over the world.

Yet, if you check the calendar pages in our Almanac, you will find that this is not
so. In fact, our tables tell you that on the days of the spring and fall equinox, the
length of daylight is actually longer than darkness by several minutes.

The reason this happens can be attributed to our atmosphere. If Earth was a
planet that did not have an atmosphere, then yes, on the equinox days the length
of the day and night would be exactly even.

However, our atmosphere acts like a lens and refracts (bends) its light above the
edge of the horizon. Put in another way, when you watch the Sun either coming up
above the horizon at sunrise, or going down below the horizon at sunset, you are
looking at an illusion — the Sun is not really there, but already below the horizon.

As a result, we actually end up seeing the Sun for a few minutes before its disc
actually rises and for a few minutes after it has actually set. Thus, thanks to
atmospheric refraction, the length of daylight on any given day is increased by
approximately six or seven minutes.

Why Does the First Day of Spring Change?

There are a few reasons why seasonal dates can vary from year to year. The first
is…

    1. A year is not an even number of days and neither are the seasons.
    2. Earth’s elliptical orbit is changing its orientation (skew), which causes the its
          axis to constantly point in a different direction, called precession.

Since the seasons are defined as beginning at strict 90-degree intervals, these
positional changes affect the time the earth reaches each 90-degree location in its
orbit around the sun.

Second, the pull of gravity from the other planets also affects the location of Earth
in its orbit.

Is Spring Getting Shorter?
The current seasonal lengths for the Northern Hemisphere are (approximately):

    •     Summer — 93.641 days
    •     Autumn — 89.834 days
    •     Winter — 88.994 days
    •     Spring — 92.771 days

As you can see, the warm seasons, spring and summer, combined are 7.584 days
longer than the colder seasons, fall and winter (good news for warm weather
admirers!).However, spring is currently being reduced by approximately one
minute per year and winter by about one-half a minute per year. Summer is gaining
the minute lost from spring, and autumn is gaining the half a minute lost from
winter.

Winter is the shortest astronomical season, and with its seasonal duration
continuing to decrease, it is expected to attain its minimum value — 88.71 days —
by about the year 3500.

Why The Changes?
So why, you might ask, are the “warm seasons” (spring and summer), longer than
the “cold seasons” (autumn and winter)?

It goes back to Earth’s elliptical orbit again, as mentioned above. We are 3.1
million miles closer to the Sun (called perihelion) in early January, as compared to
early July, when we are farthest (called aphelion). And the closer a celestial body
is to the Sun, the faster it must move in its orbit—gravity insists upon that, that’s a
fundamental, natural law that was demonstrated 400 years ago by the astronomer,
Johann Kepler. That means during cold months, when we are closest to the Sun,
we are sweeping fastest through our orbit in space. In July, when we’re farther
from the Sun, we’re moving more slowly.

Source

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NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
                             March 20 - March 24

                             Virtual Program Schedule
                        Programs at the Shepherd's Center
                          Center Without Walls Schedule
             Shepherd's Center Announcements & Program Flyers

                            Virtual Programs
                          (all programs are free unless noted)

Please note: Shepherd's Center Staff can only provide Zoom assistance for events we
are hosting (all Shepherd Center Zooms are marked with an *). If you have trouble with
other meetings, you will need to contact the organization hosting the program.

Please click here for the Cyber-Seniors Webinar Schedule. Note: If you have
questions about any of the Cyber-Senior Zooms please call Cyber-Seniors at 844-217-
3057.

Monday

*3:00 PM: Thinking Outside the Box Zoom Discussion Group: To join please click
here. The meeting ID is 834 7416 0197 and passcode is 471132. To join by phone please
dial 1-646-558-8656.

Tuesday

*11:00 AM: Writing Workshop on Zoom: Have you always wanted to write your story
but you don’t know how to start? Susan Surman, award winning author and playwright,
will inspire attendees to jump start their creative juices related to their personal life and
journey. The workshop is open to everyone. Feel free to join at any time. Join us by
clicking here. The meeting ID is 964 9593 4742 and passcode is 348466. You may
join by phone by dialing 1-929-205-6099.

6:00PM: NC Cooperative Extension: Gardening on a Budget: Learn what is needed
to grow a beautiful garden on a limited budget. REGISTER HERE

7:00PM: NC Cooperative Extension: Native Plants for Creeks and Streams: This
webinar will review some of the best native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials for
streams and creeks. We'll examine each species' ecological function and horticultural
value, as well as resources for wildlife-friendly landscaping from NC State Extension.
Identification and management of invasive species near riparian areas will also be
explored. REGISTER HERE

Wednesday

*2:30 PM: Way Back Wednesday with Paul McCraw. To view this week's discussion
topic please click here. To join the discussion please click here. The meeting ID is 912
3902 5331 and passcode is 355241. To join by phone please dial 1-929-205-6099.

Thursday

6:00PM: NC Cooperative Extension: Growing Under the Stars with Master
Gardeners: Garden Safety: Gardening is a wonderful hobby but is fraught with
potential safety hazards for the gardener -learn how to adapt your work style to be safe.
REGISTER HERE

6:00PM: NC Cooperative Extension: So You Want to Grow Medicinal Herbs? In this

online event, learn about the various aspects and considerations for growing medicinal
plants for market. REGISTER HERE

Ongoing & Upcoming Virtual Events

Aging Well Series, 2nd Tuesday of each month, 5:30PM-6:30PM sponsored by the
Wake Forest Baptist Health, Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention
JOIN IN HERE Passcode: 554736

           Programs at The Shepherd's Center

Mondays

11:30am – 12:30pm: Ball Room Dance with Luba Nemcow $12 for single/class.
$20 for couple/class. Meets on the lower level.
1:30pm - 4:00pm: Chess and Cards with Paul Sluder No cost. Meets on the upper
level.
1:30pm – 4:00pm: Euchre No cost. Meets on lower level.

Tuesdays

9:15am - 10:15am: Tai Chi for Older Adults with Misako Kay $2 donation
suggested. Class meets on the upper level.
9:30am - 11:30am: Intermediate Bridge $2 donation suggested. Meets on upper
level.
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Tai Chi for Arthritis and Balance with Wanda Patterson. No
cost. Meets on upper level. *Beginner’s Welcome*
1:00pm - 3:00pm: Knitting & Crochet No cost. Meets on the lower level.
2:00pm - 4:00pm: The Shepherd's Center Singers will resume meetings on the
upper level in January 2023 – community engagements in December. Donations
Suggested. Please contact Carmina Jenks to join at pegjen2@gmail.com.
6:30pm: Community Dharma Open group meeting. For more information; please
contact wsdharmacommunity@gmail.com.

Wednesdays

9:30am - 11:30am: Advanced Bridge $2 donation suggested. Meets on lower level.
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Tai Chi for Body, Mind and Spirit with Sandy Seeber. This
is an ongoing class which meets at Miller Park Shelter #10 (located beside Shelter #1
and the restrooms). Beginners are welcome! If you are interested in joining, please
contact Sandy at sandyseeber2014@gmail.com, or call at 336-409-8591.
1:30pm - 4:00pm: Adult Coloring No Cost. Meets on upper level.
1:30pm - 4:00pm: Fellowship & Games No cost. Meets on lower level.
4:30pm: Arthritis Workshop No cost. Meets on upper level. *Meets once a
month. Stay tuned to our e-newsletter and flyers for specific date and topic.

Thursdays

9:30am-10:30am: Chair Yoga for Every Body $5/class. Meets on upper level.
*Begins March 30th.
9:30am - 11:30am: Advanced Bridge $2 donation suggested. Meets on lower level.
10:00am – 11:30am: Alzheimer’s Support Group Meets 2nd and 4th Thursday on
the upper level.
11:00am – 12:00pm: Yang 24 Tai Chi Practice with Wanda Patterson. No cost.
Must have prior tai chi experience to join.
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Tai Chi for Arthritis & Fall Prevention with Wanda
Patterson No cost. Meets on the upper level.
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Adult Children of Alcoholics Support Group Class will meet
in person on the upper level. If you are interested in attending please contact Kristin
at klarson@shepherdscenter.org.
3:00pm - 4:30pm: Thinking Outside the Box Open discussion group. No Cost.
Class will meet in person on lower level.
5:00pm - 5:45pm: Intergenerational Community Drumming. All ages welcome!
No cost. Class will meet on the lower level.

Fridays

9:30am - 11:30am: Advanced Bridge $2 donation suggested. Meets on lower level.
10:00am - 12:00pm: Writing Stories for Your Life No cost. Meets on upper level.
Meets every third Friday. **GROUP IS FULL

Drop-in Activities at the Center - Tablet and laptop access offered by appointment.
Activities include: social corner; puzzle exchange; card & board games; piano; book
exchange; Wi-Fi; tablet games; chess and adult coloring books. Check out our new
meditation area located at the old walking trail!

Classes/activities that are located out of the Center

Salemtowne Retirement Community 1000 Salemtowne Dr, W-S
Warm Water Exercise: Pricing: Unlimited sessions: $25/month for Shepherd's Center
members and $30/month for nonmembers. One Session per week: $12/week for
Shepherd's Center members and $15/week for nonmembers. Please mail or drop off
payments at the Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem 1700 Ebert St. Winston-
Salem, NC 27103.
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays at 11:00am
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 1:00pm

Pfafftown Baptist Church 4336 Transou Rd, Pfafftown
Tai Chi for Older Adults with Misako Kay - Mondays 2:00pm $2 Donation suggested
Yoga with Susan Hunsinger - POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Mary Alice Warren Community Center 7632 Warren Park Dr, Lewisville
Writing Stories from your Life - Every Second Monday 10am-12pm.

For more information please contact Kristin Larson at
klarson@shepherdscenter.org

Keep an eye out for upcoming CRAFTERNOONS with LINDA at the Center…

MARCH: All Occasion Hanging Plaque and a matching card – see full information

sheet.
APRIL: Set of 4 Encouragement / Prayer pockets – see full information sheet.
MAY: A Welcome Spring Shadowbox – see full information sheet.
JUNE: A giftable folder of 4 lovely notecards that you’ll stamp with your choice of
several themes, color with watercolor pencils and finish with a bow closure.
(Additional full kits will be available to purchase.)
JULY: ‘Christmas in July’ (but of course!!) It’s never too early to start making some
special cards for Christmas. You’ll make half a dozen to take home. (Additional full
kits will be available to purchase.)
AUGUST: Doily Art on Canvas. (This class will require additional time to allow for
projects to dry enough for you to take home.)
SEPTEMBER: A Fall themed shadowbox. (There will be 2 classes, one if you wish
to only do an 8”x8” shadowbox followed by a short break for lunch and then
another class for those who wish to do a 12”x12” shadowbox.)
OCTOBER: Halloween treat boxes for the kiddos (big or small, kiddos that is!)
along with a second class for Fall/Thanksgiving cards.
NOVEMBER: Christmas Ornaments. More information at a later date.

You can sign up ahead for any class that interest you as space is usually limited
and signing up ahead helps me to schedule ahead for supplies etc. Payments
wouldn’t be due until noted with the full info on each class.

                    To sign up, call/text or email Linda at:
                       336-29-6320 (H) 704-195-5434 (C)
                        Email: LClineman53@gmail.com

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