Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-21
ARRIVAL OF SPRING !:
IS COMPLEX EVENT
TO ASTRONOMERS
Naval Observatory Experts
Seek to Redetermine
vernal Equinox. ..
PLANT LIFE DIFFERS !.
WITH STELLAR TIME
Towering Of Shrubs Taken in En-.
rope as Chart to Guild.
Agriculturists.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Winter is over and gone. =
Crocus-tfessed Spring reached WASH
ington oficialiy at s:35 last evening. At
least, within few hundredths of a SEE
ond OF that time occurred the yernal
equinox. according to the calculations
OF the Naval Observatory.
springs annual return to the North
ern Hemisphere Is really quite a COM
pncated procedure as the astronomers
look at 1t, even If 1t is the simplest
thing for flowers and lovers. -
The earth makes its annual Journey
around the sun in great circle known
as the elliptic. For the purpose of pic
turing the event, it Is just as well to as
sumo that the earth is stationary and
that 1t really Is. the sun which is NOV
ing around the earth in this great cir.
Gle, just as 1t appears to an observer
on earth. The earth also is turning Il,
Its axis every "a hours, moving in the
plane OF the Equator.
Now these two paths do not coincide.
II they did there would be no seasons.
The path OF the earth around the sun
varies approximately % degrees from
the Equator. Twice q year the two CIR
cles 1nterseet, once when the earth Is
swinging northward on its annual Jour-
ney and once when it Is speeding south
ward. At those instants the, sun is d.
rectly over the Equator. Night and day
are Of equal length. The instant the
sun has gone north of the Equator CIR
Gle 1t. is Spring and the instant 1t has
gone south it is Autumn.
Exact Instant Undetermined.
Naval Observatory astronomers are
not quite sure OF the exact instant when
Spring arrives and now are engaged In
q long series of observations, one Of the
objects Of which is to redetermine the
vernal equinox. This involves triangila-
ton Of the exact position of the sun
with the Equator and various planets
and fixed stars.
The coming of Spring. Naval OBJ
servatory astronomers point out. has
sun from the earth. It Is the nearest
during the Winter months in the North
ern Hemisphere. and now the earth
Is moving farther away. The differ
erce in distance. however. is so slight.
comparatively, that the effect is not
noticeable.
Brilliant Stellar Parade.
Automatically Spring comes this
year attended by q brilliant stellar
procession. Venus, appropriate har-
period Of greatest brilliancy in the
! evening sky-so brilliant that she can
be seen In broad daylight during the
late afternoon. The morning star Ia
Saturn, now slightly brighter than
star Of the first magnitude. Far away,
but still Of first magnitude. is the
giant star Aldebarton, at one end Of the
Hyades.
This year. 1t is pointed out at the
Weather Bureau, the mathematical
start Of the season Of flowers and
green lawns In Washington coincide
rather closely, but some years there Is
little actual relation. For many years
there was forsythia bush in the
front yard of the Weather Bureau
which was considered more reliable
announcer than the progress Of the
stars. for all practical purposes. When
the first bell-shaped yellow flowers APP
peared on its leafless branches Spring
was said to have arrived.
Bresseming Date Discussed.
Spring" as the meteorologists look
at It. is the time when vegetation
springs into renewed life after the
dormant period of Winter. The process
occurs earlier In some places than
others and the time Of its start varies.
Among European students OF the sub
ject 1t has become customary to re-
mean hlossoming date Of several com
mon Spring towering plants. In Ger
many Is species Of shrubs and trees
are included in this group.
Several European countries have pub
lished elaborate charts showing the nor
NAL date Of the beginning Of Spring IN
this sense, showing the variations due
to latitude, altitude, distance from the
ocean, etc These have proved fairly
reliable guides in agricultural operations.
Little scientific study. has been given
the problem In the United States.
Settlers Used Plan.
According to Andrew d. Hopkins. en-
tomologist of the Department of Agri-
culture. who Is one of the few Ameri-
can scientists to have studied the prob
lem. 1t was early recognized by the white.
settlers in the East that 1t was the time
to plant corn when the white oak or
maple leaves were the size OF squirrels
feet or, when dogwood began to show
white In the woods.
The appearances OF the robin, bluebird,
swallow, ground hog and other animals
Indicated various stages In the advent
and progress of Spring. After long
study OF seasonal progress he arrived At
the conclusion, that. other conditions
being equal, the occurrences Of a given
periodic event In life activity in tenn
perate North America Is at the general
average rate of four days to each /
degree Of latitude, S degrees Of lon
gitude and 400 feet. of altitude, later
northward, eastward and upward In the
Spring and the reverse In Autumn
American scientists, however. never.
have agreed upon any definite biological
event whose occurrence In a certain
place should denote the coming Of
Spring.
Following two weeks of balmy weather.
the astronomical advent Of Spring this
year finds the actual Spring well under
way here, with crocuses poisoning on
banks with southern exposures all over
the city. the white blossoms Of mag
faolias beginning to open. forsythias In
good locations already transformed into
fountains of gold and the pink buds or