The March Equinox 2011

The Equinox is an orbital event and while it is quite O.K. to speak of
it in terms of the Spring or Autumnal Equinox,technically it
represents a singular relationship between daily and orbital
characteristics devoid of hemispherical connotations.

The great orbital cycle and its effect of a single daylight/darkness
cycle is especially noticeable at the polar coordinates which turn
through either side of the circle of illumination within the next few
days about a point that is 23 1/3 degrees on a line coincident with
the circle of illumination but running through the center of the Earth
from Arctic to Antarctic circles.

The Spring festival of St Patrick's day brings that optimism for
warmer weather ahead at latitudes North of the Equator as the Earth
orbitally turns to the central Sun in allowing more radiation and
longer daylight hours at those latitudes and along with this optimism
is a new explanation for the seasons using an additional orbital
component.

The ability to ignore the joy in astronomy is not an attribute and
each person knows where they stand by affirming the simple goodness of
this insight,not because I propose it but simply because it exists and
people can choose to promote it.