The public is invited to celebrate the day of the equinox, marking the end of winter and beginning of spring at the UMass Amherst Sunwheel on Thursday, March 20. 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, weather permitting.

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 5:01 a.m. EDT 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 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.

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.

Visitors to the Sunwheel should be prepared for especially wet footing this year. Rain or blizzard conditions cancel the events.