What is the Altitude of the sun above the northern horizon at noon at 4 degrees South latitude on the summer solstice?

Answer 1

At the summer solstice, the Sun is 23.5 degrees north of the celestial equator. Love Field, Dallas, TX is at 32.8 degrees north.

A "noon fix" is achieved by observing the altitude of the Sun at "local apparent noon", when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky. You can calculate your latitude by taking 90 degrees minus the observed angle above the horizon, or "altitude", and subtracting the declination, or Sun's angle north (or south) of the equator.

In this case, we need to work the problem backwards. So take 90 - (latitude) + declination, or 90 - 32.8 + 23.5 = 80.7 degrees.

Oh, one other thing; this is the altitude of the Sun above the SOUTHERN horizon. The Sun will never appear north of Dallas at noon. The question asks about the northern horizon. We could calculate the angle above the northern horizon as 180-80.7 or 99.3 degrees above the northern horizon.

Answer 2

If you are in the northern hemisphere, the altitude of the celestial equator above the southern is equal to your latitude.

If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, the celestial equator is above your NORTHERN horizon. But the angle is still your latitude.

Answer 3

That completely dependes on where you are on Earth ... your latitude.

The altitude of the sun above the southern horizon at noon on March 21 is

90 degrees minus (your latitude).

(Southern latitudes are negative, northern ones are positive.)

-- South pole . . . latitude = -90 . . . sun altitude = 90 - (-90) = 180 degrees = on the northern horizon

-- Equator . . . latitude = zero . . . sun altitude = 90 - (0) = 90 degrees = overhead

-- North pole . . . latitude = 90 . . . sun altitude = 90 - (90) = 0 = on the southern horizon

Answer 4

It all depends on your latitude. At the equinoxes the sun follows a path across the sky that is 90 degrees minus your latitude at noon. So if you live at the equator, since your latitude is zero, the sun is 90 degrees minus zero degrees, or 90 degrees overhead. If you live at 45 degrees latitude, north or south, then the sun is 90 minus 45, or 45 degrees high in the sky. If you live on the arctic, or antarctic, circle then the sun is 90 minus 66 1/2 degrees which makes it 23 1/2 degrees above the horizon.

Answer 5

Since you mentioned "southern horizon", you're probably in the northern Hemisphere,
so the following answers all refer to the northern Hemisphere:


At equinoxes, it's [ (90 degrees) minus (your latitude) ].

At June solstice, it's 23.5 degrees higher.

At December solstice, it's 23.5 degrees lower.

Answer 6

That's a great question! It's well written, and the conditions you describe are all

consistent and appropriate ... right up until almost the end of the question, and

that's where you hit a snag.

Whose Summer solstice are you specifying, the northern hemispheres' or the southern ?

You've forced me to answer it both ways.

-- On June 21, the summer solstice in the northernhemisphere, the sun's declination

is +23.5°. If you were on the equator, the sun's peak elevation would occur when it's

23.5° north of your zenith, so 66.5° above your northern horizon. At 4° south latitude,

it's 27.5° north of your zenith, and 62.5° above your northern horizon.

-- On December 21, the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere, the sun's declination

is -23.5°. If you were on the equator, the sun's peak elevation would occur when it's

23.5° south of your zenith, so 66.5° above your southern horizon. At 4° south latitude,

it's 19.5° south of your zenith, and 70.5° above your southern horizon.

Answer 7

This depends on your location and the date. If you are in Hawaii in June, the angle above the horizon can be 90 degrees; the Sun can be "straight up". In Hawaii (the only part of the US where this can happen) they call it "Lahaina Noon". From northern Canada at midwinter, the Sun might be only 15 or 20 degrees above the southern horizon.

And if you live in Australia, the Sun is generally above the NORTHERN horizon at mid-day.

Answer 8

That varies, depending on the time of the year, and on the latitude.