JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS.

I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA
PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA.

DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM
THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.

JAMES: NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 20TH IS THE VERNAL
EQUINOX, ALSO KNOWN AS THE OFFICIAL SPRING

OF THE LEAF DAY.

DEAN: MEANWHILE NEXT WEEK SUNDAY, MARCH 25TH
MARKS THE OFFICIAL SPRING OF THE YEAR DAY.

JAMES: PLUS, WE HAVE A REALLY COOL PAIRING
OF PLANETS AND OUR MOON ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH

18TH.

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

LET'S SHOW YOU!

JAMES: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY WE CALL
SPRING, SPRING?

WELL, THAT WORD SPRING IS SIMPLY SHORT FOR
THE PHRASES 'SPRING OF THE LEAF' AND 'SPRING

OF THE YEAR'.

NOW SPRING OF THE LEAF IS PRETTY OBVIOUS BECAUSE
AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR LEAVES LITERALLY

DO SPRING UP OUT OF BRANCHES AND GRASS SPRINGS
UP OUT OF THE GROUND AND THAT'S WHY WE CALL

SPRING, SPRING.

DEAN: BUT WHAT DOES SPRING OF THE YEAR MEAN?

WELL, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BEFORE 1752 IN ENGLAND
AND AMERICA, THE NEW YEAR OFFICIALLY BEGAN

WHEN SPRING BEGAN, ON MARCH 25TH.

OR TO PUT IT QUITE SIMPLY, THE NEW YEAR SPRANG
UP AT THE SAME TIME THE LEAVES AND GRASS DID.

JAMES: IN FACT, WHEN GEORGE WASHINGTON AND
BEN FRANKLIN WERE YOUNG, THEY AND ALL THE

OTHER AMERICAN COLONISTS WISHED EACH OTHER
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY SPRING ON THE SAME

DAY ON MARCH 25TH.

HOWEVER, WHEN THE ENGLISH CALENDAR WAS REFORMED,
PARLIAMENT DECLARED THAT STARTING IN 1752,

THE NEW YEAR WOULD NO LONGER BEGIN IN MARCH,
BUT WOULD BE CELEBRATED ON JANUARY 1ST, A

TRADITION BEGUN BY THE ROMANS IN 153 B.C.

DEAN: NOW BOTH SPRINGS ARE RELATED TO THE
VERNAL EQUINOX, WHICH HAPPENS THIS YEAR ON

TUESDAY, MARCH 20TH AT 12:16 P.M.

EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME.

JAMES: BUT WHAT DOES THE TERM VERNAL EQUINOX
REALLY MEAN?

LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING
IS REALLY AN ASTRONOMICAL EVENT, WHICH MARKS

ONE OF THE TWO DAYS OF THE YEAR WHEN OUR SUN
IS SMACK DAB ON THE CELESTIAL EQUATOR.

DEAN: THE OTHER DAY BEING THE FIRST DAY OF
AUTUMN.

WHEN THIS HAPPENS IN SEPTEMBER, WE CALL IT
THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX AND WHEN IT HAPPENS IN

MARCH, WE CALL IT THE VERNAL EQUINOX.

JAMES: MOST PEOPLE TODAY DON'T KEEP TRACK
OF THE SUN AND ITS MOVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE

SEASONS LIKE OUR ANCESTORS DID, BUT IT'S A
LOT OF FUN TO WATCH THE SUN CHANGE ITS PLACE

ON THE HORIZON EVERY DAY FROM EQUINOX TO EQUINOX.

DEAN: STARTING THIS WEEK, IF YOU MAKE NOTE
OF WHERE THE SUN RISES AND SETS ON THE HORIZON

EACH DAY USING LANDMARKS (LIKE TREES OR BUILDINGS),
YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE SUN WILL RISE JUST

A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF EAST EACH DAY
AND WILL SET A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF

WEST EACH DAY.

JAMES: THE SUN WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWARD
WEEK AFTER WEEK UNTIL JUNE 21ST, THE FIRST

DAY OF SUMMER (THE SUMMER SOLSTICE), WHEN
IT WILL RISE ITS FARTHEST NORTH OF EAST AND

SET ITS FARTHEST NORTH OF WEST.

DEAN: AFTER WHICH IT WILL START TO MOVE SOUTHWARD
WEEK AFTER WEEK UNTIL ONCE AGAIN IT WILL RISE

DUE EAST AND SET DUE WEST ON THE AUTUMNAL
EQUINOX, THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN IN SEPTEMBER.

JAMES: ALRIGHT, LET S SEE WHAT THE PLANETS
ARE DOING ON THE EQUINOX.

JAMES: OK, WE VE GOT OUR SKIES SET TO SUNSET
ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 18TH.

IF YOU LOOK DUE WEST JUST AFTER SUNSET, NEAR
THE HORIZON YOU LL SEE THE SLIMMEST CRESCENT

MOON YOU VE PROBABLY EVER SEEN.

IT MAY BE TOUGH TO SPOT DUE TO THE GLARE OF
THE SUN, BUT WE HAVE A WAY OF HELPING YOU

FIND IT.

DEAN: JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE CRESCENT MOON,
YOU LL SEE TWO BRIGHT STAR-LIKE OBJECTS.

THE BRIGHTER ONE IS THE DAZZLING PLANET VENUS
AND THE DIMMER ONE FURTHER TO THE RIGHT IS

THE PLANET MERCURY.

JAMES: IF YOU LOOK AT EITHER PLANET THROUGH
A TELESCOPE, YOU RE IN FOR A TREAT.

SINCE VENUS IS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE
SOLAR SYSTEM FROM US RIGHT NOW, WE LL BE

ABLE TO SEE MOST OF ITS DAYTIME SIDE.

THEREFORE, VENUS WILL BE IN THE GIBBOUS PHASE.

DEAN: MERCURY ON THE OTHER HAND IS ABOUT TO
PASS BETWEEN US AND THE SUN, SO WE LL BE

SEEING MORE OF ITS NIGHTTIME SIDE.

SO, IF YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH A TELESCOPE,
MERCURY WILL BE IN A CRESCENT PHASE.

JAMES: WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT!

A SPRING TIME PAIRING OF ASTRONOMICAL PROPORTIONS!

DEAN: SO HAPPY SPRING OF THE LEAF AND HAPPY
OLD FASHIONED NEW YEAR.

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!