2024-03-15 02:10:02
Published on March 14, 2024 at 10:44 p.m.
What is going on ? The spring equinox occurs earlier and earlier each year. Explanations.
Early equinox
The spring equinox corresponds to an astronomical phenomenon linked to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. It marks the start of autumn and spring. This event never occurs at the same time. This year, it will take place on March 19 at 11:06 p.m., the earliest in 128 years. Why is this so? This is explained by the fact that the complete revolution of our planet around its star is not exactly 365 days. In absolute terms, a year is precisely 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds.
Leap year
To remedy this irregularity in relation to the length of the Earth day, a correction was proposed: the leap year. However, this solution turns out to be imprecise since it involves adding a day to the calendar every four years. However, in reality, we add six hours per year when we only need 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Therefore, another correction is necessary.
Second correction
Since the leap year adds about ten minutes too much to the Earth’s calendar compared to the actual journey of our planet around the sun, we periodically fail to add a day at the start of a new century. For example, the year 2100 will not be a leap year. However, for the count to be correct, years that are multiples of 100, but also multiples of 400 are still leap years. Therefore, 2000 had a February 29, like 2400 and 2800.
More and more hasty
This overcorrection has the effect of bringing the equinox further and further from year to year, until the omission of the leap year which will set the clocks back on time, as in 2100. If you live long enough to attend the event, know that the earliest spring equinox of the 21st century will occur on March 19, 2096 at 10:04 a.m.
With the collaboration of Kevin Cloutier, meteorologist.
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