First Day of Spring 2008!

March 20, 2008

That is the date for the first day of Spring this year.

The Spring season doesn't always begin then.


The First day of Spring doesn't always come on the twentieth, it is sometimes the twenty-first or nineteenth.

Hopefully your not looking forward to such an event however, as we are in for a long string of first days of Spring falling on March 20.

When we look at the dates for the first day of spring for the next fifty years, we can see the next time the Vernal Equinox occurs on a date other than March 20 will be 36 years from now when spring will begin on March 19, 2044.


2008-03-20 05:58
2009-03-20 11:47
2010-03-20 17:36
2011-03-20 23:25
2012-03-20 05:14
2013-03-20 11:03
2014-03-20 16:52
2015-03-20 22:41
2016-03-20 04:30
2017-03-20 10:19
2018-03-20 16:08
2019-03-20 21:57
2020-03-20 03:46
2021-03-20 09:35
2022-03-20 15:24
2023-03-20 21:13
2024-03-20 03:02
2025-03-20 08:51
2026-03-20 14:40
2027-03-20 20:29
2028-03-20 02:18
2029-03-20 08:07
2030-03-20 13:56
2031-03-20 19:45
2032-03-20 01:34
2033-03-20 07:23
2034-03-20 13:12
2035-03-20 19:01
2036-03-20 00:50
2037-03-20 06:39
2038-03-20 12:28
2039-03-20 18:18
2040-03-20 00:07
2041-03-20 05:56
2042-03-20 11:45
2043-03-20 17:34
2044-03-19 23:23
2045-03-20 05:12
2046-03-20 11:01
2047-03-20 16:50
2048-03-19 22:39
2049-03-20 04:28
2050-03-20 10:17
2051-03-20 16:06
2052-03-19 21:55
2053-03-20 03:44
2054-03-20 09:33
2055-03-20 15:22
2056-03-19 21:11
2057-03-20 03:00
2058-03-20 08:49



After 2044 it will just be 4 years when March 19, 2048 is once again the first day of spring, then 4 more years to March 19, 2052, then another 4 years to March 19, 2056... hmm thats interesting.

Looking at another 40 years of the dates on which spring will begin...

2058-03-20 08:49
2059-03-20 14:38
2060-03-19 20:27
2061-03-20 02:16
2062-03-20 08:05
2063-03-20 13:54
2064-03-19 19:43
2065-03-20 01:32
2066-03-20 07:21
2067-03-20 13:10
2068-03-19 18:59
2069-03-20 00:48
2070-03-20 06:37
2071-03-20 12:26
2072-03-19 18:15
2073-03-20 00:04
2074-03-20 05:53
2075-03-20 11:42
2076-03-19 17:32
2077-03-19 23:21
2078-03-20 05:10
2079-03-20 10:59
2080-03-19 16:48
2081-03-19 22:37
2082-03-20 04:26
2083-03-20 10:15
2084-03-19 16:04
2085-03-19 21:53
2086-03-20 03:42
2087-03-20 09:31
2088-03-19 15:20
2089-03-19 21:09
2090-03-20 02:58
2091-03-20 08:47
2092-03-19 14:36
2093-03-19 20:25
2094-03-20 02:14
2095-03-20 08:03
2096-03-19 13:52
2097-03-19 19:41
2098-03-20 01:30


we see the pattern of 4-year intervals of March 19 first days of
spring continues in 2060, then 2064, 2068, 2072, culminating in 2076 when a new pattern seems 
emerge with an alternating cycle of two years of the vernal equinox falling on March 19, then two years on March 20, then two years on March 19, et cetera.

Then, this pattern ends in 2099 followed by a series of dates in which no apparent pattern is visible at the current level of observation until 2108 when March 20 is the first day for three consecutive years then one day at March 21 in 2111.

This 3 and 1 pattern continues until 2140 when we see another long stretch of the first day of spring occuring on March 20 this time for 31 years until 2171 when YAPE.


2098-03-20 01:30
2099-03-20 07:19
2100-03-20 13:08
2101-03-20 18:57
2102-03-21 00:46
2103-03-21 06:35
2104-03-20 12:24
2105-03-20 18:13
2106-03-21 00:02
2107-03-21 05:52
2108-03-20 11:41
2109-03-20 17:30
2110-03-20 23:19
2111-03-21 05:08
2112-03-20 10:57
2113-03-20 16:46
2114-03-20 22:35
2115-03-21 04:24
2116-03-20 10:13
2117-03-20 16:02
2118-03-20 21:51
2119-03-21 03:40
2120-03-20 09:29
2121-03-20 15:18
2122-03-20 21:07
2123-03-21 02:56
2124-03-20 08:45
2125-03-20 14:34
2126-03-20 20:23
2127-03-21 02:12
2128-03-20 08:01
2129-03-20 13:50
2130-03-20 19:39
2131-03-21 01:28
2132-03-20 07:17
2133-03-20 13:06
2134-03-20 18:55
2135-03-21 00:45
2136-03-20 06:34
2137-03-20 12:23
2138-03-20 18:12
2139-03-21 00:01
2140-03-20 05:50
2141-03-20 11:39
2142-03-20 17:28
2143-03-20 23:17
2144-03-20 05:06
2145-03-20 10:55
2146-03-20 16:44
2147-03-20 22:33
2148-03-20 04:22
2149-03-20 10:11
2150-03-20 16:00
2151-03-20 21:49
2152-03-20 03:38
2153-03-20 09:27
2154-03-20 15:16
2155-03-20 21:05
2156-03-20 02:54
2157-03-20 08:43
2158-03-20 14:32


Interesting stuff.  If you think you know what to make of it or not, leave a comment.

If you want to look for more patterns in the dates of the first day of the spring season or spot any correlations or patterns among the autumnal equinox or summer and 
winter solstices, the dates can be calculated here.

Anyone bummed about having to wait until one of these patterns kicks off (people surprise me all the time) would do well to remember that dates and time are relative.  Ask one of the followers of the many calendars in use in the world, or ask Einstein about time dilation.

In a way somewhat relating to the previous statement, the times following the dates above are all Greenwich mean times, or there abouts.  So where ever you may be on this planet the occurence of the spring equinox may be on a different date than what is listed above.