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Spring equinox 2023: Why day and night aren't actually equal in length

The 2023 vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere occurs on 20 March, but it’s not strictly true that this means day and night are the same length

By Abigail Beall

20 March 2023

The sun sets in Manchester, UK, on the spring equinox in 2022

Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

Today is the spring, or vernal, equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere.

What is an equinox?

The equinox happens when the sun crosses the celestial equator, an imaginary line that runs through the sky directly above the equator. This means the sun sits exactly between the hemispheres at this point.

When is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere?

The equinox isn’t a day but a time. This year, it is at…

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