You're in luck because spring is about to officially begin, making now a good time to talk about equinoxes and solstices.

With the vernal equinox nearly upon us, here's what we know about when spring starts, the shortest and longest days of the year and more:

The sun's rays fall directly on the equator, marking the first official day of spring. Meteorologists consider March 1 the start of spring.

An equinox occurs twice a year. The autumnal equinox occurs in September - when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness almost everywhere on the planet.

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Day and night aren't exactly 12 hours on the day of the equinox because the Earth's atmosphere refracts, or bends, light in an optical illusion that brings more daylight than there really is. Because of this, the date when day and night are of exactly equal length usually comes a few days after the spring equinox.

Three three months of spring include March, April and May.

The longest day of the year is the summer solstice.

What is the shortest day of the year?

The shortest day of the year is the winter solstice.

What is a solstice?

A solstice is the moment the Earth's tilt toward or away from the sun is at a maximum, according to the National Weather Service.

Chris Sims is a digital content producer for Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.