vernal equinox

[ vur-nl ee-kwuh-noks, ek-wuh-noks ]
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noun
  1. See under equinox (def. 1).

  2. Also called ver·nal point . the position of the sun at the time of the vernal equinox.

Origin of vernal equinox

1
First recorded in 1525–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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British Dictionary definitions for vernal equinox

vernal equinox

noun
  1. the time at which the sun crosses the plane of the equator towards the relevant hemisphere, making day and night of equal length. It occurs about March 21 in the N hemisphere (Sept 23 in the S hemisphere)

    • astronomy the point, lying in the constellation Pisces, at which the sun's ecliptic intersects the celestial equator

    • the time at which this occurs as the sun travels south to north (March 21)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for vernal equinox

vernal equinox

[ vûrnəl ]


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