Dates and times, 2025 to 2036
Universal Time (UTC), good to about two minutes. In your own time zone the date can differ by a day.
| Year | March equinox | June solstice | September equinox | December solstice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mar 20, 09:01 | Jun 21, 02:42 | Sep 22, 18:19 | Dec 21, 15:03 |
| 2026 | Mar 20, 14:46 | Jun 21, 08:24 | Sep 23, 00:05 | Dec 21, 20:50 |
| 2027 | Mar 20, 20:25 | Jun 21, 14:11 | Sep 23, 06:02 | Dec 22, 02:42 |
| 2028 | Mar 20, 02:17 | Jun 20, 20:02 | Sep 22, 11:45 | Dec 21, 08:20 |
| 2029 | Mar 20, 08:02 | Jun 21, 01:48 | Sep 22, 17:38 | Dec 21, 14:14 |
| 2030 | Mar 20, 13:52 | Jun 21, 07:31 | Sep 22, 23:27 | Dec 21, 20:09 |
| 2031 | Mar 20, 19:41 | Jun 21, 13:17 | Sep 23, 05:15 | Dec 22, 01:55 |
| 2032 | Mar 20, 01:22 | Jun 20, 19:09 | Sep 22, 11:11 | Dec 21, 07:56 |
| 2033 | Mar 20, 07:23 | Jun 21, 01:01 | Sep 22, 16:52 | Dec 21, 13:46 |
| 2034 | Mar 20, 13:17 | Jun 21, 06:44 | Sep 22, 22:39 | Dec 21, 19:34 |
| 2035 | Mar 20, 19:03 | Jun 21, 12:33 | Sep 23, 04:39 | Dec 22, 01:31 |
| 2036 | Mar 20, 01:03 | Jun 20, 18:32 | Sep 22, 10:23 | Dec 21, 07:13 |
Length of the seasons in 2026
The four seasons are not equal: Earth moves fastest in early January, when it is closest to the Sun, so the season that contains that date is the shortest.
| Season | Begins | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (north) · autumn (south) | from the March equinox | 92.74 days |
| Summer (north) · winter (south) | from the June solstice | 93.65 days |
| Autumn (north) · spring (south) | from the September equinox | 89.86 days |
| Winter (north) · summer (south) | from the December solstice | 88.98 days |
What equinoxes and solstices are
An equinox is the instant when the Sun crosses the celestial equator: its apparent ecliptic longitude is exactly 0° in March (the vernal equinox) and 180° in September (the autumnal equinox). Day and night are then nearly equal everywhere on Earth.
A solstice is the instant when the Sun is farthest north (longitude 90°, in June) or farthest south (270°, in December) of the equator: the longest and the shortest days of the year.
The dates drift by about six hours each year and jump back at every leap year, which is why the same event can fall on two or three different calendar dates. These instants are found here by searching for the moment the Sun reaches each longitude, with the VSOP87 theory, nutation and aberration.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next equinox or solstice?
The next one is the December solstice, on December 21, 2026 at 20:50 UTC, in 39 days: the start of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere and of summer in the southern.
When do the seasons start in 2027?
March equinox: March 20 at 20:25 UTC. June solstice: June 21 at 14:11 UTC. September equinox: September 23 at 06:02 UTC. December solstice: December 22 at 02:42 UTC.
Why is the date not the same every year?
A year of seasons lasts about 365.2422 days, not a whole number: each event comes roughly six hours later than the year before, and the leap day brings it back.