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 Although it has felt like spring (and even summer) the past few weeks, spring “officially” begins Tuesday morning at 1:14 a.m, wtvr.com reported.

This is actually an astronomical event called the vernal equinox, which marks the moment the direct rays of the sun hit the Equator. After this moment, the direct rays continue focusing northward as we approach summer.

Astronomical spring begins on March 20 and astronomical summer on June 20 according to the position of the sun. These dates fluctuate (usually on the 20th, 21st, 22nd) some years due to minor variations in the positions of the Earth and sun.

Meteorologists mark the seasons slightly differently. The seasons are grouped in whole months, eliminating the date variations for more consistent statistics, and also to group the months more according to the weather. Meteorological winter includes December, January & February. Meteorological summer includes June, July & August. The other seasons mark the months between those periods.