Department of Physics

User's Guide to the Night Sky

The Sun's Track across the Sky at the Summer Solstice

The animation shows the daily track of the Sun across the sky at the time of the summer solstice as seen from Durham. The Sun rises in the north-east, crosses the meridian at about noon and sets in the north-west. From Durham at the summer solstice, the Sun reaches a maximum altitude of 58.5° i.e. (90° − 55° + 23.5°). The track of the Sun across the sky is the same as the Dec = +23.5° line.

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