Vernal Equinox 2019: Google Doodles Celebrate as Earth's Seasons Change

Google is celebrating the vernal equinox with Google Doodles illustrating the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. (Image credit: Google)

The seasons change on Earth today, and Google is getting into the equinox spirit with a pair of doodles to celebrate the yearly milestone.

Today, March 20, marks the the vernal equinox, when the sun passes over Earth's equator (from our perspective on the planet) and the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. That leads to longer days (and the start of spring!) in the north and shorter days (and autumn) in the south.

To celebrate the seasonal change, Google created two doodles: one celebrating the first at of spring for the Northern Hemisphere, and other for the first day of fall in the Southern Hemisphere.

A new Google Doodle celebrates the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. (Image credit: Google)

Today also marks the full moon of March, called the full Worm Moon.

Tonight's full moon occurs at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 March 21 GMT) and will be the third and final "supermoon" of 2019, according to NASA. The space agency describes supermoons as a full moon that occurs near perigee, the closest point to Earth in the moon's monthly orbit.

So, celebrate the first day of spring (or fall, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) with a look at the "Super Worm Equinox Moon" tonight!

Editor's note: If you capture an amazing photo or video of the Super Worm Equinox Moon and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.