Sun: The Naked-Eye Observation

Lecture 1
Sun: the naked-eye

observation
The source of light and heat
The Sun is the sole

source of light and
heat for the
maintenance of life
on Earth.
Diurnal motion
Over the course of
a day, the Sun
seems to move
smoothly across
the sky from east
to west.
This daily progress
of the Sun across
the sky is known as
diurnal motion.
3
An object of veneration
The Sun has been
an object of
veneration in many
cultures
throughout human
history.
Humanitys most fundamental
understanding of the Sun is as
the luminous disk in the sky,
whose presence above the
horizon creates day and whose
absence causes night.
Solar deity
In many prehistoric
and ancient
cultures, the Sun
was thought to be
a solar deity or
other supernatural
entity.
Helios was the personification of the Sun in

Greek mythology. He drove the chariot of the
Sun across the sky each day.
5
A ball of glowing gas

The Sun is a ball of
glowing gas.
Earths Rotation
The apparent
motion of the Sun is
the result of the
spin, or rotation, of
Earth.
Earths rotation
about an axis
The Suns apparent

revolution around Earth
Animation source: Wikimedia Commons

7
Sun path
Over the course of
a day, the Sun
seems to move
smoothly across
the sky from east
to west, along a
path.
Telling the time of day

The apparent
position of the Sun
in the sky has been
used to tell the
time of day.
Humans were
telling time from
shadow-lengths.
Sundial
Sundials were widely
used in ancient times
as a time-measuring
device.
A sundial shows the
time by displaying
the position of a
shadow on a surface,
which has markings
that correspond to
the hours.
A sundial as a dcor in the

Singapore Botanic Gardens
10
Sun path at the equator

At the equator, the
Sun path is vertical
to the horizon.
Earths rotation
ath
p
n
u
S
equator
The Suns apparent

motion
W
11
In the northern hemisphere

In the northern (and
southern) hemisphere,
the Sun path is not
vertical to the horizon.
Simulator:
Motions of the Sun
ho
riz
o
N
W
12
Changing Sun path

The Sun path for one day
The daily Sun path

changes
throughout the
year.
The daily Sun paths for six months

13
More evidence
My office window is
facing north.
On some days of
the year, the Sun
can shine through
the window; on the
other days, it cant.
14
Earths revolution around

the Sun
Earth is orbiting
around the Sun.
It takes about one
year to complete
one orbit around
the Sun.
15
Earths rotation
axis is not vertical
to the plane of its
orbit around the
Sun.
The axis is tilted at
an angle of 23.5.
23
.5
Earths axial tilt
16
Solstices and equinoxes

Every year, at the June
solstice (near June 21),
the North Pole will tilt
closest toward the Sun;
at the December solstice
(near December 21), the
South Pole will tilt
closest toward the Sun.
At the equinoxes (near
March 21 and
September 21), both
Poles do not tilt towards
the Sun.
March equinox
June
solstic
e
Septemb
er
equinox
Decemb
er
solstice
17
The Sun path at the equator

The vertical Sun
path shifts closest
toward the North
Pole at the June
solstice, and
closest toward the
South Pole at the
December solstice.
June solstice
equinox
December solstice
18
In the Northern Hemisphere

In the northern
(and southern
hemisphere), the
tilted Sun path also
shifts accordingly.
19
Vernal equinox etc.

In the Northern Hemisphere:
March equinox vernal equinox
June solstice summer solstice
September equinox autumnal equinox
December solstice winter solstice
20
A composite image of
sunrise
The Sun rose from three different directions on three different days.
These photographs were taken in Greece, which is in the Northern
Hemisphere.
21
A composite image of the

Sun path
Three different Sun paths on three different days:

March solstice (middle), June solstice (top), and
22
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a
prehistoric monument
located in England.
Archaeologists believe
it was built anywhere
from 3000 BC to 2000
BC.
The site is aligned in
the direction of the
sunrise of the summer
solstice and the sunset
of the winter solstice.
Stonehenge and the sunrise of

the summer solstice
23
Modern Building Design

The relative position of the Sun is a major
factor in the heat gain of buildings and in
the performance of solar energy systems.
Accurate location-specific knowledge of
Sun path and climatic conditions is
essential for economic decisions about
solar collector area, orientation,
landscaping, summer shading, and the
cost-effective use of solar trackers.
24
The Seasons
The changing Sun
path is responsible
for the seasons in
the Northern (and
Southern)
Hemisphere.
Two factors
combine to cause
the seasons.
25
Two factors
There are more hours
of daylight during the
summer than in
winter.
When the Sun is high
in the sky in summer,
rays of sunlight
striking Earths surface
are more concentrated
than in winter. As a
result, the Sun feels
hotter.
26
Some videos
YouTube:
Winter Solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska
There are few hours of daylight during
the winter.
The Sun is low in the sky in winter.
YouTube: Arctic Midnight Sun

Near the North Pole and near the
summer solstice, the Sun does not set.
27
Timekeeping: the year

The seasons play an important role in
human timekeeping.
The interval of time from one vernal
equinox to the nextabout 365.24
daysis one tropical year. It is the
year that the Western calendar
measures.
A regular year consists of 365 days; a
leap year occurs roughly every 4 years.
28
Changing sunrise time

Even at the
equator, the time
of sunrise (and
sunset) changes
throughout the
year.
Weblink:
Sunrise and Sunset
Times for Singapo
re
29
Earths elliptical orbit

The shape of Earths
orbit around the Sun
is not circular.
Due to Earths axial
tilt and elliptical
orbit, the length of a
day changes
throughout the year,
so is the time of
sunrise.
July
January
30
Analemma
In this composite image, all
exposures of the Sun were
made at the same time of
day, throughout the year.
The multiple Suns trace an
intersecting curve known
as an analemma.
In the foreground is the
Temple of Apollo in ancient
Corinth, Greece.
Apollo became identified
among Greeks with Helios,
god of the Sun.
31
Sunrise and sunset

A view of sunrise from NUS A view of sunset from the Kent Ridge Park
At dawn or dusk, the

Sun appears red and
dimmer than at noon.
32
Sunlight is a mixture of
colors
Sunlight is a
mixture of colors.
These are the colors
in a rainbow.
When a beam of sunlight enters a

raindrop, it separates into different
colors.
33
Atmospheric scattering
As sunlight passes
through our
atmosphere, it is
scattered by gas
molecules in the
air.
Blue light is much
more easily
scattered than red
light.
Why is the sky blue?

34
Dim and red rising/setting Sun

At dawn or dusk, with
the Sun near the
horizon, sunlight must
pass through much more
atmosphere before
reaching our eyes.
The blue component of
the Suns light is almost
entirely scattered out of
the line of sight, and
even the red component
is diminished in intensity.
The Sun at noon
The Sun
at
dawn/dus
k
The sun
appears dim
and red.
The Sun
appears bright
and yellow.
Earth
atmosphere
35

Sun: The Naked-Eye Observation

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Lecture 1

Sun: the naked-eye

The source of light and heat

The Sun is the sole

Helios was the personification of the Sun in

A ball of glowing gas

The Suns apparent

Animation source: Wikimedia Commons

Telling the time of day

A sundial as a dcor in the

Sun path at the equator

The Suns apparent

In the northern hemisphere

Changing Sun path

The daily Sun path

The daily Sun paths for six months

Earths revolution around

Earths axial tilt

Solstices and equinoxes

The Sun path at the equator

In the Northern Hemisphere

Vernal equinox etc.

A composite image of the

Three different Sun paths on three different days:

Stonehenge and the sunrise of

Modern Building Design

YouTube: Arctic Midnight Sun

Timekeeping: the year

Changing sunrise time

Earths elliptical orbit

Sunrise and sunset

At dawn or dusk, the

When a beam of sunlight enters a

Why is the sky blue?

Dim and red rising/setting Sun

The Sun at noon

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