Celebration of Space - March 13, 2026
Pi Day is March 14th!
Geek alert! Saturday, March 14, 2026 is Pi (𝜋) Day! When formatting the date with a single digit month and day, separated by decimal points, you get: 3.14, which is the common recognition of Pi.
Pi, which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, is of high importance to math and science. Using Pi, astronomers and planetary scientists can compute the rotations, orbits, volume, and surface area of solar system bodies. Many hardcore math geeks have put Pi to the test by computing the number to over 105 trillion digits with the hopes of finding a pattern in the numbers. Though no known patterns have ever emerged.
The real once-in-a-century moment happened at 9:26:53 am on March 14, 2015, when the date and time printed the first 10 digits of Pi (3.141592653). Connect with your inner geek tomorrow and check out some cool ways to become acquainted with Pi by taking the NASA JPL π IN THE SKY challenge (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/resources/lesson-plan/pi-in-the-sky-11/) while enjoying a delicious slice of your favorite pie to celebrate the day!
Next Friday, March 20, 2026 at 10:46 am ET, the Ecliptic, which is the path the Sun takes across the sky, will intersect with Earth's celestial equator. This intersection is the Vernal Equinox which will mark the end of winter and the start of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. At that time the Earth will reach a point in its orbit where it is neither tilted towards or away from the Sun. This will result in equal amounts of daylight for corresponding locations north and south of the equator, with the Sun passing directly overhead (at zenith) on the equator at Noon.
The Equinoxes, like the Solstices, are a result of Earth's 23.4° axial tilt. As the Earth orbits the Sun, our axial tilt remains constant and generally points in the same direction. (Note that precession will change the direction of our axial tilt, though we are not talking about that here as these changes don't noticeably happen over one year). As the Earth makes its way around the Sun, our 365.25-day year, we will reach points in our orbit, opposite each other, where Earth's tilt will be either inclined 23.4° toward or away from the Sun, these are the Solstices. In between the Solstices are points in our orbit where Earth's tilt will not be inclined toward or away from the Sun, these are the Equinoxes. The changes in our orbit as it relates to our tilt are visible to us when looking at the Sun's path across the sky. Around the Summer Solstice in June, we see the Sun pass much higher in the Northern Hemisphere sky, giving us longer days and warmer temps, though around the Winter Solstice in December, we see the Sun cross the sky much lower to the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere sky, resulting in short days and cold temps. This is, of course, all opposite if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.
Take a moment this coming Friday to step outside and welcome spring and all the heat loving zealotry that is just around the corner, including beach days, late sunsets, and fabulous nights reveling under the Milky Way.
