Google doodle spring equinox
Google marks the first day of spring. Google doodle

Spring is here! To celebrate Google has marked the northern hemisphere's equinox with a doodle animation featuring a mouse and a daffodil.

The cute animation features a mouse sleeping in a rather nice underground room - complete with wall pictures, a calendar, broom and even a blanket and pillow!

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Waking up to find spring in full bloom, the mouse runs up to the garden above, collects a daffodil that has just sprung, and carries it back before placing it in a vase as decoration.

So what is spring equinox? The term translates from Latin as equal (equi) and night (nox), marking the moment when the day and nights become equal in length. Almost everywhere in the world today, nighttime and daytime will be 12 hours each.

The spring equinox is also called the vernal equinox. According to the Metro, the equinox technically starts twice. On the meteorological calendar, it always starts on 1 March every year, but, in the astronomical calendar, it changes annually.

The astronomical calendar depends on the earth's 23.5 degree tilt on its rotational axis as well as its orbit around the sun.