(Photo courtesy of Nick Stasiak)

The vernal equinox, also known as the first day of spring, took place on March 20. This occurrence was strange to most people as the first day of spring is usually March 21. I won’t go too much in detail in regard to this change, but it seems as though the gravity pull from other planets in our solar system is affecting the Earth’s orbit and timing of spring. The Earth’s elliptical orbit is also changing its orientation relative to the sun. This is known as precession. By 2020, the entire United States could see spring start as early as March 19.