The equinox is what most think of as the official start of spring, but there’s also meteorological spring, which began on March 1 and lasts until May 31.

Meteorological seasons are grouped into three-month blocks that make it easier to tabulate data.

According to NASA that astronomical seasons happen because of the tilt of Earth’s axis and its position during its orbit around the Sun.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun will set just a bit farther north on the horizon each evening until the June solstice – when the sun reverses directions, moving back to the south.

And sunsets will continue to happen later in the day. That will be the case until the next astronomical seasonal marker, the summer solstice, which will happen on June 21.