Hello, spring.

The 2018 vernal equinox – the first day of spring —will be ushered in at 11:15 a.m. today, in case you want to be exact.

The event is called an equinox (literally meaning “equal night” in Latin) for a good reason: It is only one of two time times during the year when the earth doesn’t tilt away or towards the sun, providing nearly the same amount of daylight and night.

The tilt’s orientation with respect to space does not change during the year; thus, the Northen Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun in June and away from the sun in December.