ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR MARCH 20

GOOD WEB LINKS

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.html
If all you’re interested in is the date and time of the vernal equinox, this link offers the U.S. Naval Observatory’s listings for 1992-2005.

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/equinox.html
This brief article doesn’t go into much detail, but there’s a color graphic that shows what’s going on at the equinox and what it looks like from the solar system and from Earth.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/equinoxes.html
The U. S. Naval Observatory offers the most detailed and authoritative explanation of why days are longer than nights at both equinoxes.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wequinox.htm
USA Today offers the best graphic to illustrate why days are longer than nights at both equinoxes, but their text is a bit muddy. In their effort to paraphrase what the U.S Naval Observatory says, they misstate some key points.

http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/egg_spin.html
This Web site explains away the popular misconception about being able to balance an egg on its end only at the vernal equinox. It offers fact-based information written by an astronomer whose life mission is to replace “bad astronomy” with good.