1 00:00:20,453 --> 00:00:22,188 THE RETURN OF VERN! 2 00:00:22,288 --> 00:00:24,424 JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS. 3 00:00:24,524 --> 00:00:28,395 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA. 4 00:00:28,495 --> 00:00:31,097 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI 5 00:00:31,197 --> 00:00:32,365 OBSERVATORY. 6 00:00:32,465 --> 00:00:35,201 WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 7 00:00:35,301 --> 00:00:38,204 WE HAVE TWO SPRINGTIME MYSTERIES TO EXPLORE THIS WEEK! 8 00:00:38,304 --> 00:00:40,206 JAMES: THAT S RIGHT, DEAN! 9 00:00:40,306 --> 00:00:44,778 NEXT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20TH IS THE VERNAL EQUINOX, ALSO KNOWN AS THE OFFICIAL SPRING OF THE LEAF 10 00:00:44,878 --> 00:00:46,179 DAY. 11 00:00:46,279 --> 00:00:49,649 MEANWHILE, MARCH 25TH MARKS THE OFFICIAL SPRING OF THE YEAR DAY. 12 00:00:49,749 --> 00:00:51,985 DEAN: AND IF THAT WEREN T CONFUSING ENOUGH, HAVE 13 00:00:52,085 --> 00:00:54,888 YOU EVER WONDERED WHY EASTER JUMPS AROUND EVERY YEAR? 14 00:00:54,988 --> 00:00:58,725 WELL, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE VERNAL EQUINOX AND THE TIMING OF THE 15 00:00:58,825 --> 00:00:59,726 FULL MOON. 16 00:00:59,826 --> 00:01:00,960 JAMES: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? 17 00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:02,495 LET S SHOW YOU! 18 00:01:02,595 --> 00:01:05,565 JAMES: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY WE CALL SPRING, 19 00:01:05,665 --> 00:01:07,400 SPRING? 20 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:10,970 WELL, THAT WORD SPRING IS SIMPLY SHORT FOR THE PHRASES 'SPRING OF THE LEAF' AND 'SPRING 21 00:01:11,071 --> 00:01:12,839 OF THE YEAR'. 22 00:01:12,939 --> 00:01:16,342 NOW SPRING OF THE LEAF IS PRETTY OBVIOUS BECAUSE AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR LEAVES LITERALLY 23 00:01:16,443 --> 00:01:22,015 DO SPRING UP OUT OF BRANCHES AND GRASS SPRINGS UP OUT OF THE GROUND AND THAT'S WHY WE CALL 24 00:01:22,115 --> 00:01:23,149 SPRING, SPRING. 25 00:01:23,249 --> 00:01:25,251 DEAN: BUT WHAT DOES SPRING OF THE YEAR MEAN? 26 00:01:25,351 --> 00:01:31,357 WELL, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BEFORE 1752 IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA, THE NEW YEAR OFFICIALLY BEGAN 27 00:01:31,458 --> 00:01:34,294 WHEN SPRING BEGAN, ON MARCH 25TH. 28 00:01:34,394 --> 00:01:39,766 OR TO PUT IT QUITE SIMPLY, THE NEW YEAR SPRANG UP AT THE SAME TIME THE LEAVES AND GRASS DID. 29 00:01:39,866 --> 00:01:41,634 JAMES: IN FACT, WHEN 30 00:01:41,734 --> 00:01:45,505 GEORGE WASHINGTON AND BEN FRANKLIN WERE YOUNG, THEY AND ALL THE OTHER AMERICAN COLONISTS 31 00:01:45,605 --> 00:01:49,442 WISHED EACH OTHER HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY SPRING ON THE SAME DAY ON 32 00:01:49,542 --> 00:01:51,311 MARCH 25TH. 33 00:01:51,411 --> 00:01:56,583 HOWEVER, WHEN THE ENGLISH CALENDAR WAS REFORMED, PARLIAMENT DECLARED THAT STARTING IN 1752, 34 00:01:56,683 --> 00:02:02,422 THE NEW YEAR WOULD NO LONGER BEGIN IN MARCH, BUT WOULD BE CELEBRATED ON JANUARY 1ST, A 35 00:02:02,522 --> 00:02:05,091 TRADITION BEGUN BY THE ROMANS IN 153 B.C. 36 00:02:05,191 --> 00:02:08,128 DEAN: NOW BOTH SPRINGS ARE RELATED TO THE VERNAL 37 00:02:08,228 --> 00:02:13,733 EQUINOX, WHICH HAPPENS THIS YEAR ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20TH AT 5:58 P.M. 38 00:02:13,833 --> 00:02:14,968 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME. 39 00:02:15,068 --> 00:02:17,270 JAMES: BUT WHAT DOES THE TERM VERNAL EQUINOX REALLY 40 00:02:17,370 --> 00:02:18,938 MEAN? 41 00:02:19,038 --> 00:02:23,243 LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING IS REALLY AN ASTRONOMICAL EVENT, 42 00:02:23,343 --> 00:02:27,313 WHICH MARKS ONE OF THE TWO DAYS OF THE YEAR WHEN OUR SUN IS SMACK DAB ON THE 43 00:02:27,413 --> 00:02:28,548 CELESTIAL EQUATOR. 44 00:02:28,648 --> 00:02:31,484 DEAN: THE OTHER DAY BEING THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN. 45 00:02:31,584 --> 00:02:36,156 WHEN THIS HAPPENS IN SEPTEMBER, WE CALL IT THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX AND WHEN IT HAPPENS IN 46 00:02:36,256 --> 00:02:37,524 MARCH, WE CALL IT THE VERNAL EQUINOX. 47 00:02:37,624 --> 00:02:39,025 JAMES: MOST PEOPLE TODAY DON'T KEEP TRACK OF THE 48 00:02:39,125 --> 00:02:40,960 SUN AND ITS MOVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS LIKE OUR ANCESTORS DID, 49 00:02:41,060 --> 00:02:41,494 BUT IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO WATCH THE SUN CHANGE ITS PLACE ON THE HORIZON EVERY DAY FROM EQUINOX 50 00:02:41,594 --> 00:02:42,328 TO EQUINOX. 51 00:02:42,428 --> 00:02:44,197 DEAN: STARTING THIS WEEK, 52 00:02:44,297 --> 00:02:45,698 IF YOU MAKE NOTE OF WHERE THE SUN RISES AND SETS ON THE HORIZON EACH DAY USING LANDMARKS 53 00:02:45,798 --> 00:02:47,500 LIKE TREES OR BUILDINGS, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE SUN WILL RISE JUST A 54 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:48,067 LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF EAST EACH DAY AND WILL SET A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH OF 55 00:02:48,168 --> 00:02:49,302 WEST EACH DAY 56 00:02:49,402 --> 00:02:50,570 JAMES: THE SUN WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWARD WEEK 57 00:02:50,670 --> 00:02:52,805 AFTER WEEK UNTIL JUNE 21ST, THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER 58 00:02:52,906 --> 00:02:57,744 (THE SUMMER SOLSTICE), WHEN IT WILL RISE ITS FARTHEST NORTH OF EAST AND SET ITS FARTHEST 59 00:02:57,844 --> 00:02:58,978 NORTH OF WEST. 60 00:02:59,078 --> 00:03:01,214 DEAN: AFTER WHICH IT WILL START TO MOVE SOUTHWARD 61 00:03:01,314 --> 00:03:06,719 WEEK AFTER WEEK UNTIL ONCE AGAIN IT WILL RISE DUE EAST AND SET DUE WEST ON THE AUTUMNAL 62 00:03:06,819 --> 00:03:09,522 EQUINOX, THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN IN SEPTEMBER. 63 00:03:09,622 --> 00:03:12,725 JAMES: ALRIGHT, LET S TALK ABOUT WHY EASTER DOES 64 00:03:12,825 --> 00:03:14,861 A BUNNY HOP ON THE CALENDAR EVERY YEAR. 65 00:03:14,961 --> 00:03:17,864 DEAN: MANY RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS ARE SCHEDULED AROUND 66 00:03:17,964 --> 00:03:19,566 ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS. 67 00:03:19,666 --> 00:03:21,534 JAMES: EASTER IS TRADITIONALLY SET TO BE THE 68 00:03:21,634 --> 00:03:26,005 FIRST SUNDAY, AFTER THE FIRST FULL MOON, AFTER THE VERNAL EQUINOX. 69 00:03:26,105 --> 00:03:30,843 THIS YEAR, THE VERNAL EQUINOX OCCURS AT 5:58 PM ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20TH. 70 00:03:30,944 --> 00:03:34,581 THE FULL MOON OFFICIALLY OCCURS LATER THAT EVENING AT 11:43 PM. 71 00:03:34,681 --> 00:03:37,550 DEAN: SO, EVEN THOUGH THE FULL MOON ON MARCH 20TH 72 00:03:37,650 --> 00:03:43,556 TECHNICALLY HAPPENS AFTER THE VERNAL EQUINOX, THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY, MARCH 24TH DOESN T 73 00:03:43,656 --> 00:03:44,791 OFFICIALLY COUNT. 74 00:03:44,891 --> 00:03:46,826 JAMES: YOU SEE, THE TRICK WITH EASTER IS THAT, FOR 75 00:03:46,926 --> 00:03:50,863 RELIGIOUS REASONS, THE ECCLESIASTICAL FULL MOON HAS TO FALL ON 76 00:03:50,964 --> 00:03:56,669 OR AFTER THE FOLLOWING DAY (MARCH 21ST) IN ORDER FOR THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY TO BE EASTER. 77 00:03:56,769 --> 00:03:58,471 DEAN: TRICKY. 78 00:03:58,571 --> 00:04:02,775 THEREFORE, EASTER THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE ON SUNDAY, APRIL 21ST AFTER OUR NEXT FULL 79 00:04:02,875 --> 00:04:05,245 MOON WHICH HAPPENS ON FRIDAY, APRIL 19TH. 80 00:04:05,345 --> 00:04:06,246 (STOP - CLOSE UP ENDING) 81 00:04:06,346 --> 00:04:08,014 JAMES: SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT! 82 00:04:08,114 --> 00:04:11,284 AN OLD FASHIONED HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH A LITTLE HISTORY ON HOW SPRING GOT ITS NAME 83 00:04:11,384 --> 00:04:14,020 DEAN: AND A FULL MOON THAT ALMOST TRIGGERED EASTER. 84 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,120 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!