Re:Earth and Sun
by thaumasiotes on Friday October 18, 2019 @07:49PM
(#21295927)
Calling these the "maximum height" and the "minimum height" of the sun during the year makes it sound like the height of the sun will always lie between those two figures. That can't be the case -- they have night in the tropics too. Are these what I might call the "high maximum height", the yearly maximum of the maximum height of the sun on any given day, and the "low maximum height", the yearly minimum of the daily maximum height of the sun?
Re:Earth and Sun
by TheSpiceIsLife on Friday October 18, 2019 @10:47PM
(#21296478)
It’s the minimum and maximum angle between sun and horizon at midday on the solstices.
Re:Earth and Sun
by saberdancer on Tuesday October 22, 2019 @02:42AM
(#21320931)
Yes, you are correct. My phrasing was unclear, especially in terms of "minimum".
The numbers are for the highest angle of Sun toward the horizon in a single day. This happens at solar noon (solar noon is the moment that Sun passes your local meridian/north south line).
(90-your latitude) + tilt of the earth (23.5 degrees) = maximum height of the sun during the year
(90-your latitude) - tilt of the earth (23.5 degrees) = minimum height of the sun during the year.
Effectively this means if your latitude is 23.5 or less, you get the sun directly overhead at some time during the year. If your latitude is above 67.5, you get polar night as the sun doesn't rise above the horizon (short one at 67.5, but as you go further toward the pole ever longer)
For Seattle, (90-47)+23.5=66.5 maximum. (90-47)-23.5=19.5 minimum.