UMass Amherst Sunwheel and Sky-Watching Events Mark the Spring Equinox on March 19

The UMass Sunwheel

The public is invited to celebrate the day of the equinox, marking the end of winter and beginning of spring at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Sunwheel on Tuesday, March 19. Talks will be given at 6:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. while viewing sunrise and sunset among the standing stones of the Sunwheel. During the evening session, there will also be an opportunity to enjoy telescopic views of the sun and moon, weather permitting.

Observers standing at the center of the Sunwheel's standing stones will see the sun rise and set over stones placed to mark the equinoxes, very close to due east and due west. Other structures around the world mark this astronomical change, such as the pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico.

On the day of the March equinox, the sun crosses the celestial equator, passing from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere. This year, the sun crosses the equator at 11:06 p.m. EDT on March 19. For people living in time zones to our east, the day of the equinox is on March 20. On the day of the equinox, the length of nighttime is nearly equal to the length of daytime, which is the origin of the term equi-nox (equal-night), and the sun rises due east and sets due west.

The March equinox marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere. At the sunrise and sunset talks, UMass Amherst astronomer Stephen Schneider will explain the seasonal positions of the sun and moon, with a special emphasis on the moon's extreme positions over the coming year during the 2024-25 major lunar standstill. The best dates and times to catch the moon rising and setting at its most extreme positions have been posted on the UMass Sunwheel website at www.umass.edu/sunwheel.

If the sky is clear in the evening, a solar telescope will be set up before sunset to safely observe the surface of the sun, while another telescope will be available to observe the waning gibbous moon. Schneider will also discuss ways to safely observe the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8.

This equinox event is the first in a series of public astronomy events leading up to the eclipse on April 8. Mark your calendars for:

• March 27, a public lecture featuring James Lowenthal, the Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor and Chair of Astronomy at Smith College, who will speak about how and why eclipses happen, phenomena to watch for and how to prepare for and safely watch the solar eclipse on April 8. 8 p.m., Integrated Sciences Building Auditorium, UMass Amherst.
  
  
• April 8, public gathering at UMass Amherst to observe the eclipse. The College of Natural Sciences and the astronomy department will distribute solar shades at two locations on campus while supplies last-UMass Amherst Sunwheel and Metawampe Lawn. UMass astronomers will speak about the phenomenon at both campus viewing locations. Shades will be available beginning at 11 a.m. The peak of the eclipse will be at 3:28 p.m. The event will conclude at 4:30 p.m.

The UMass Amherst Sunwheel is located south of McGuirk Alumni Stadium, just off Rocky Hill Road (the continuation of Amity St.) about one-quarter-mile west of University Drive. Visitors to the Sunwheel should be prepared for especially wet footing this year. Rain or blizzard conditions cancel the events.

For more information, please visit the UMass Amherst Sunhweel website.

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