Spring equinox & rare alignment
The vernal equinox hit March 20 — the sun crossed the celestial equator at 14:46 UTC, officially kicking off spring in the Northern Hemisphere. In Kerala, Padmanabhaswamy Temple recorded a rare Suryasmaranam (sun alignment through the gopuram) visible only at equinoxes, and there’s a Mountain Skills with Wild Camping course scheduled April 25–26 in Grasmere for anyone planning spring backpacking. (earthsky.org) (latestly.com) (teamwalking.co.uk) (x.com)
At the instant of the March equinox the Sun’s declination crossed zero, placing the subsolar point directly on the equator and, for this year’s event, over the Atlantic off Brazil’s northeast coast. (timeanddate.com) At Sree Padmanabhaswamy the setting Sun was recorded passing sequentially through five openings in the gopuram in roughly five‑minute stages, a timed visual sequence reported by local and national outlets. (latestly.com) Local coverage and footage show hundreds of onlookers assembling on the temple precincts to view the sunset alignment, with videos and photos circulating widely on social platforms. (latestly.com) The site’s prominence for the spectacle is reinforced by previous high-profile attention — the temple drew international focus after the 2011 discovery of vast valuables in its vaults — and past equinox viewings have sometimes been obscured by cloud cover, leaving visitors disappointed on other occasions. (astroulagam.com.my) TeamWalking’s Lake District “Mountain Skills with Wild Camping” offering is a two‑day, Mountain Training–accredited course led by Mark Reid FRGS that combines instruction with a supervised overnight wild camp. (teamwalking.co.uk) The event page lists a 09:30 BST start in Grasmere on April 25 and a finishing time the afternoon of April 26, and the organiser’s calendar currently shows the course has a limited number of places remaining. (happeningnext.com)
