The arrival of spring is celebrated at the Planetarium Pythagoras Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria
Appointment tomorrow 20 March at 21.00 with the conference entitled “The spring equinox and the date of Easter”
The vernal equinox is the instant that astronomically closes the winter season. In the common sense, the event occurs every March 21st. But that’s not always the case! The date of this astronomical event is not fixed and can fall between March 19 and 21. In fact, the spring equinox 2023 will be on Monday 20 March and precisely at 10.24 pm on our watches. The reason for this is to be found in the revolution motion of our planet which lasts a little longer than the canonical 365 days, exactly 6h 9′ 10” more. To solve this delay, a leap year was introduced every four years. This time swing is the reason why the equinoxes and solstices don’t always fall on the same date.
Beyond these astronomical disquisitions, spring is the season of rebirth and in many cultures it is associated with the concepts of fertility, resurrection and beginning. Even the calculation of the date of Easter is linked to the beginning of spring. In 325 the first Council of Nicaea established that the solemnity of Easter of Resurrection should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox. All ancient traditions offer a series of myths related to spring, myths at the center of which lies the idea of sacrifice followed by rebirth.
If the autumn equinox, in fact, marks the beginning of the period of the year in which the nights become longer than the days, the spring equinox vice versa indicates the beginning of the period of the year in which the hours of light exceed those of dark.
These and other topics, accessible also to non-experts, but to all sky enthusiasts, will be the subject of the conference: “The Spring Equinox and the date of Easter” which will take place on Monday 20 March at 21.00 at the Planetarium Pythagoras Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. The speaker will be doctor Fabrizio Mazzucconi, astronomer of the Observatory of Arcetri Florence and veteran member of the Italian Astronomical Society. To follow: the description of the Spring Sky at the Planetarium and the observation through the telescope by the Planetarium Staff. The whole citizenry is invited. Free admission.
