By: Michel Olguín Lacunza-UNAM World
Subsequent March 19 at 9:04 p.m. Central Mexico, the Solar will align instantly over the Equator, marking an ideal steadiness between day and night time, with an equal variety of hours of sunshine and darkness. This phenomenon, often called the equinox, happens twice a 12 months: in spring and autumn.
It’s fascinating to notice that, throughout spring, the Earth is additional away from the Solar. Nonetheless, because of its axial tilt, Mexico and different areas obtain a better quantity of daylight. Quite the opposite, in winter, regardless of being nearer to the solar, the lean of the Earth reduces the quantity of sunshine we obtain.
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From the spring equinox, the size of the night time begins to progressively lower, giving rise to longer and brighter days. This course of is reversed with the arrival of the autumn equinox, when the nights lengthen till they attain their peak throughout the winter solstice.
Why do these pure phenomena happen?
Equinoxes happen as a result of tilting of the planets’ axes of rotation as they orbit the Solar. Not all planets expertise these phenomena in the identical method. For instance, Mercury and Jupiter have practically vertical axes of rotation, leading to days and nights of comparable size on Jupiter, whereas Uranus, with its excessive tilt, experiences drastic adjustments in its seasons.
On Earth and Mars, with their axes tilted by roughly 23 levels, this tilt is answerable for seasonal differences. Which means that, relying on the time of 12 months, one hemisphere will obtain extra daylight than the opposite, leading to adjustments within the size of days and nights.
The Mayans and their relationship with the celebs
The Mayan civilization had a deep data of seasonal and astronomical adjustments, captured of their codices and astronomical observations. Their architectural buildings mirror this knowledge, with particular alignments to point the equinoxes, as is the case of the ball recreation.
A notable instance is the pyramid of Kukulkan in Chichén Itzá, the place, throughout the equinox, the play of sunshine and shadow creates the phantasm of a snake descending its stairs. This phenomenon happens in each spring and autumn, highlighting the significance of today within the Mayan calendar.
Lastly, you will need to point out the advice of Julieta Fierro, a Mexican astronomer and scientific communicator, who advises in opposition to visiting archaeological websites on these dates. Though they’re vital moments, there isn’t a particular vitality that’s manifested, and the extreme inflow of tourists can contribute to the deterioration of those essential historic websites.
