The Vernal or March equinox is one of two very special days of the year. Not because humans say so, although many cultures have celebrated them for centuries. No, it’s more cosmic than that. Whether by accident or design, the earth’s axis tilts — a little more than 23 degrees relative to the sun.
Our cosmic tilt is the reason we have seasons: as we orbit the sun, the earth’s axis tilts toward it, and then away from it. In March and September, the axis is right in the middle, and the sun points directly at the equator — so night and day are almost exactly the same length everywhere on earth.
In the northern hemisphere, the vernal equinox is the official tipping point between winter and spring. After this, the days grow longer until the summer solstice, then shorter until they’re equal again on the autumn equinox, then shorter still until the winter solstice in December.
On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we mark this moment in our yearly orbital journey with ambient electronics for the seasonal transition, on a program called EQUINOX. Music is by HOLLAN HOLMES, JONN SERRIE, MEG BOWLES, RUDY ADRIAN, CLIVE WRIGHT, and TELOMERE.
[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]