Central Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, March 21, 2003

ASK PROFESSOR GINKGO: BREAK AN EGG

Dear Professor: I am terrible at balancing eggs and always break them. Can you really balance an egg more easily on the vernal equinox?

Ah! Which came first, the equinox or the egg? Indeed, today we celebrate the vernal equinox and first day of spring. Now, Latin-lovers will tell you that vernal means "spring" and equinox signifies "equal night." Indeed, today is one of two days in the entire year (the autumnal equinox being the other one) when the northern and southern hemisphere receive equal amounts of light, and the day and night are equal lengths. Beginning today, the Earth’s axis will gradually point towards the sun giving the northern hemisphere more daylight until the summer solstice arrives (the longest day in the northern hemisphere), and the axis begins to point the other way.

Rumor has it that the earth’s alignment with the sun makes the equinox perfect for balancing eggs. I have a colleague who will argue this point with me until the proverbial cows come home. Physics experts disagree, however, and insist that there is no scientific basis behind this. They claim that any day of the year is fine for balancing eggs. As one physics-buff named Phil Plait notes, "If you can stand an egg on its end on the Spring Equinox, surely you can on the autumnal equinox as well! Yet this always seems to get overlooked." On his website, www.badastronomy.com, he describes many experiments conducted by himself and his readers, such as a group of students that successfully balanced eggs on their narrow end for over a month. Cecil Adams, on his website The Straight Dope (www.straightdope.com), declares that "you can stand an egg on end any old time. All it takes is very steady hands."

There are dozens of stories explaining the origin of the egg myth. Some attribute it to a Life Magazine article published in May 1945. In it, the reporter describes a Chinese ritual of balancing eggs on the first day of spring. What the article fails to explain, however, is that in China, the first day of spring is celebrated in early February—six weeks before the vernal equinox.

Spring has many things in store—the blooming of the daffodils around the city, the return of leaves, the turning-on of the fountains (assuming our reservoirs are full enough), and Central Park’s Easter Eggstravaganza (to name a few). If you’re like my friend, you can mark today by practicing this fun rite of spring. And if you do, break a leg—not an egg!

"Unromantic as Monday morning."

(March 21, 1816-1855)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center