[CH] Sun Angles
Doug Goldenberg (dgoldenberg@sprintmail.com)
Fri, 8 May 1998 15:41:16 -0700
My last part might be a little strange and off topic but o well. I was
wondering if anyone can tell me how I would figure out what
angle the sun is going to take over my house as the summer rolls along.
It now seems to rise in the northeast and set due west. Will this
change as late summer hits?
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As I understand it, the sun at noon on the equinoxes is above the horizon
by the degrees equal to 90 minus your latitude. Then it's plus or minus 23
degrees (the tilt of the earth relative to the ecliptic) for the summer or
winter solstice, respectively.
If you are at 40N latitude, then the sun will be 50 degrees above the
southern horizon at noon on March 21 and Sept. 21. It will be 73 degrees
above the horizon at noon on June 21. And it will be somewhere in between
those places at other times.
On the equinoxes, the sun rises due east, and sets due west. In the
summer, it rises and sets in the northeast and northwest (in the northern
hemisphere). In the winter, it rises and sets in the southeast and
southwest, repectively.
Great fun......