Which of the following is true of the March equinox?

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Question: Which of the following is true of the March equinox?

Option 1: 'In the Southern Hemisphere, it is known as the vernal equinox.' This is inaccurate. The term vernal equinox refers to the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere; in the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox is typically called the autumnal or fall equinox.

Option 2: 'The direct rays of the Sun strike perpendicular at the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S).' This is incorrect. A perpendicular (90-degree) strike would occur at the subsolar point, which during the equinox lies near the equator. The Tropic of Capricorn, at 23.5° S, is far from the subsolar point during the equinox.

Option 3: 'At all latitudes between the poles, day and night are of equal length.' This is the defining feature of an equinox: roughly equal lengths of day and night across the globe, including all latitudes between the poles, though practical factors like atmospheric refraction and geometry can cause minor deviations.

Option 4: 'Moving south of the equator, daylength increases, while moving north of the equator daylength decreases.' This statement misrepresents the symmetry of the equinox. On an equinox, daylength is approximately equal everywhere; there isn’t a systematic increase to the south and a decrease to the north. The concept described here would imply a changing daylength gradient that does not occur at the equinox.

Summary: The only statement that correctly describes the March equinox is that day and night are of roughly equal length at all latitudes between the poles. The other options either mislabel the nominals (vernal vs. autumnal), misstate solar geometry, or describe an effect that does not apply to the equinox conditions.

Which of the following is true of the March equinox?

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