AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – Welcome spring at sunrise and sunset on Monday, March 20, 2023, at the UMass-Amherst sunwheel.

The Spring Equinox begins at 5:24 p.m. on March 20. Visitors to the standing stones at the sunwheel can watch the sun rise and set over stones placed to mark the equinoxes, nearly due east and due west. The equinox marks the astronomical change of seasons when days and nights are nearly equal in length everywhere on Earth.

UMass Amherst astronomer Stephen Schneider will provide an hour-long program that explains the Sun’s changing position and how the sunwheel works, the seasonal positions of the sun, moon and Earth, and other astronomical information.

The event will be held twice on Monday, March 20th at 6:45 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Get more information at the UMass Amherst Sunwheel website.

The UMass Amherst Sunwheel is located south of McGuirk Alumni Stadium, just off Rocky Hill Road (the continuation of Amity St.) about one-quarter mile west of University Drive. Visitors to the Sunwheel should wear footwear and clothing appropriate for wet and cold conditions. Rain or blizzard conditions cancel the events.