Today marks the first day of spring, according to meteorologists at least.

Spring always starts in March, but there are actually two official start dates as seasons can be calculated in different ways.

Equinoxes mark the start of spring and autumn and solstices mark the start of summer and winter in the astronomical calendar.

So according to astronomers, spring officially starts on March 20 this year.

Equinoxes and solstices do not have fixed dates because the Earth’s orbit is elliptical, so this varies year on year.

That’s different to meteorological seasons, which remain the same each year based on annual temperature cycles.

This year spring begins on March 1 and finishes on May 31.