The spring equinox in 2025 occurs at 09:01 UTC on 20 March, marking what is officially the first day of spring.
This is the vernal or spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the point in the year when day and night are the same length.
Equinoxes explained
The word ‘equinox’ is Latin and translates as ‘equal night’.
Equinoxes and solstices occur as a result of how Earth orbits the Sun and the planet's tilt on its axis.
Earth orbits the Sun in a slightly elliptical – or egg-shaped – orbit, and is tilted at an angle of 23.4°.
Earth's tilt, rotation and orbit means the amount of sunlight we receive changes throughout the year, and is why we have seasons.
When the northern tip of Earth is tilted towards the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere experiences summer, while the Southern Hemisphere faces away and experiences winter.
Six months later, the opposite happens and the seasons flip.
There are two solstices and two equinoxes a year.
A solstice happens at the two points in Earth’s orbit when the planet is at maximum tilt towards or away from the Sun.
Equinoxes happen at the two points of Earth's orbit when the Sun appears directly over the equator.
What this means in simple terms is the Sun is above the horizon for the same amount of time as it is below the horizon, hence the name equinox.
During the spring equinox there will be roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
The Sun will rise on spring equinox, 20 March 2025 at 06:14 UTC and set at 18:26 UTC, with some variability depending on your exact location.
Find out more about why spring equinox is happening in our guide to solstices and equinoxes.
