Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The solar azimuth angle is the azimuth (horizontal angle with respect to north) of the Sun's position. [1] [2] [3] This horizontal coordinate defines the Sun's relative direction along the local horizon, whereas the solar zenith angle (or its complementary angle solar elevation) defines the Sun's apparent altitude.
It is the complement to the solar altitude or solar elevation, which is the altitude angle or elevation angle between the sun’s rays and a horizontal plane. [4] [5] At solar noon, the zenith angle is at a minimum and is equal to latitude minus solar declination angle. This is the basis by which ancient mariners navigated the oceans. [6]
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
The solar zenith angle is the zenith angle of the sun, i.e., the angle between the sun’s rays and the vertical direction.It is the complement to the solar altitude or solar elevation, which is the altitude angle or elevation angle between the sun’s rays and a horizontal plane.
The Ex-Meridian method of calculating sights is at its most accurate when the azimuth of the object is near to south or north. As the azimuth changes towards the east or west the cross of the position line with the assumed longitude becomes more and more oblique and the position obtained is therefore less accurate.
The time when the Sun transits the observer's meridian depends on the geographic longitude. To find the Sun's position for a given location at a given time, one may therefore proceed in three steps as follows: [1] [2] calculate the Sun's position in the ecliptic coordinate system, convert to the equatorial coordinate system, and
This plot was created using the simple sunrise equation, approximating the sun as a single point and does not take into account effects caused by the atmosphere or the diameter of the Sun. The sunrise equation or sunset equation can be used to derive the time of sunrise or sunset for any solar declination and latitude in terms of local solar ...
In practice it is not necessary to use zenith distances, which are 90° minus altitude, as the calculations can be done using observed altitude and calculated altitude. Taking a sight using the intercept method consists of the following process: Observe the altitude above the horizon Ho of a celestial body and note the time of the observation.