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The Seasons Calculator calculates the approximate time and date, according to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or a local time zone, of the vernal equinox, the June solstice, the autumnal equinox and the December solstice. These dates mark the beginning of the four seasons of the year: spring, summer, autumn (or fall) and winter. It is important to note that the seasons in the northern hemisphere are opposite to those in the southern hemisphere. The Seasons Calculator ExplainedThe Seasons Calculator calculates when the equinoxes and solstices will happen for years as far back as 1 up to the year 2099. Simply select any location that is available from the World Clock and the calculator will adjust the local time in that particular city. The calculator can search various cities, including locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and much more. If the selected location observes daylight saving time during any time of the year, the times displayed will reflect that. Any location available through the World Clock may be selected, and the calculator will adjust for local time. The times shown will reflect any daylight saving observations in a selected location. If no location is specified, all times in the Seasons Calculator will be based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The dates shown for the calculations are primarily based on the Gregorian calendar. However the Julian calendar is used to calculate dates that pre-date the Gregorian calendar, which was first introduced in 1582. It is important to note that seasons in the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. For example, the vernal equinox that occurs around March 19-21 is known as the start of spring in the northern hemisphere, but it is referred to as the beginning of autumn in the southern hemisphere. The same rule applies for the other three seasons. Vernal EquinoxThe vernal equinox is also known as the March equinox, or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, as well as the autumn, autumnal or fall equinox in the southern hemisphere. It is when the sun crosses the true celestial equator – or the line in the sky above the earth’s equator – from south to north, around March 20 (or March 21) of each year. In other words, the sun appears north of the equator during the vernal equinox. During this time, there are approximately 12 hours and six minutes (or more) of daylight everywhere in the world. The daylight hours increase in locations closer to the poles. The earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun. The vernal equinox is an important event in many calendars, as it coincides with a variety of cultural events, religious observances or customs. Read more about the Vernal Equinox and Holidays, Observances and Customs that occur during this time of the year. June SolsticeThe June solstice is also referred to as the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. This is the time when the sun is at its furthest point from the equator – it reaches its northernmost point around June 20-21 and the earth’s north pole tilts directly towards the sun. The June solstice is also known as the northern solstice because it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere. This day has the longest hours of daylight for those living north of the Tropic of Cancer. Those living or travelling to the north of the Arctic Circle are able to see the “midnight sun”, where the sun remains visible throughout the night, while those living or travelling to the southern Arctic Circle will not see sun during this time of the year. Autumnal EquinoxThe September equinox is also referred to as the autumnal, autumn or fall equinox in the northern hemisphere. It is known as the spring or vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere, as countries including South Africa and Australia begin to observe the spring season. It occurs around September 21-23 the earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun. Like the March equinox, there are approximately 12 hours and six minutes (or more) of daylight everywhere in the world during the September equinox. The daylight hours increase in locations closer to the poles. The sun also appears south of the equator. In the northern hemisphere, the autumnal equinox marks the beginning of fall. December SolsticeThe December solstice is also called the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere. This is when the day has the shortest hours of daylight for locations north of the Tropic of Cancer. In the southern hemisphere, the December solstice, which occurs around December 21-22, is the day with the most daylight hours during the year for countries such as New Zealand. The southernmost point the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn. It is a time when the earth’s North Pole tilts directly towards the sun and locations south of the Arctic Circle experience the “midnight sun”. Those living or travelling to the north of the Arctic Circle will experience a lack of sunlight during this time of the year. Local Time ConversionIf UTC/GMT is selected as a location, no local time conversion will take place. If a city is selected, all times are converted to local standard or daylight time. If a future year is selected, there is a good chance that some of the times will be wrong, because the period during which daylight saving time is observed changes occasionally. For years far back in time, before standard time zones were adopted, the calculator may display "local mean solar time" instead. Local mean solar time is based on the longitude of the location, and on average over an entire year, the sun will pass the location’s meridian at noon. Passing the actual meridian on any particular day, however, may vary by up to 17 minutes from the average passing time. Calendar ChangeFor many countries, but not all, the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar will be visible since the dates will suddenly appear to jump by 10-13 days. In many countries that did not use the Julian calendar or the Gregorian calendar until recently, the Gregorian calendar is used for all years after 1582 (when the Gregorian calendar was first adopted some countries in Europe). For years before 1582 the Julian calendar will be used. Also, in many regions the calendar year did not always begin on January 1, but for simplicity this calculator always use January 1 as the first day of the year. Calculation AccuracyFor years between 1700 and 2100, the accuracy of the times calculated should be within one minute of the real time. For years before 1700, accuracy will be less as we calculate back in time. Astronomy calculators
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