DUSHANBE, 20.03.2022 (NIAT Khovar) – The spring equinox in Tajikistan this year will come today at 20:30 local time, said the Director of the Institute of Astrophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan Gulchehra Kohirova.

“In astronomy, the spring equinox is considered the moment when, for an observer from the Earth, the center of the solar disk passes from the southern hemisphere of the celestial sphere to the northern hemisphere. The transition point is called the vernal equinox. In fact, every year the Earth passes this point during its revolution around the Sun, the passage of the vernal equinox occurs within one second,” explained Kohirova.

She noted that the time interval between two successive passages of the Earth through the vernal equinox is called the astronomical year. The new astronomical year begins from the moment the Earth passes through the vernal equinox, that is, the new astronomical year 2022 will begin today at 20:30 local time.

“For us, this time is known as Navruz holiday. In addition, another interesting astronomical phenomenon occurs on this day, namely, the duration of the night becomes equal to the length of the day. The vernal equinox occurs annually on March 20th or 21st. This difference occurs due to the perturbing effect exerted on the rotation of the Earth by other planets,”explained Kohirova.

For the peoples of the East, Navruz is a holiday of the New Year on the basis of the solar astronomical calendar. Navruz is considered a national holiday and is absolutely not connected with religious beliefs.

Such a unique event occurs twice a year: in spring, when the sun moves from the southern hemisphere to the northern one, this is the vernal equinox; and in autumn, when the direction of the sun from the northern hemisphere to the southern — the autumnal equinox.