On March 21, the Sun is generally fairly close to being right over the equator.
March 21 is the average date of the northern hemisphere vernal equinox. However, the exact times of the solstices and equinoxes can vary a day or two either way, depending on the cycle of leap years.
In 2010, the March equinox occurred at 17:32 GMT on March 20, and the September equinox was at 3:09 GMT on September 23.
You can check the U.S. Naval Observatory's web site at "Earth's Seasons"
to see the dates and times of the solstices and equinoxes.
The Sun has zero declination at the two equinoxes on March 21 and September 21 (approximately). At the autumn equinox in September it crosses the plane of the Earth's orbit from north to south, so its declination goes from positive to negative.
The year has two equinoxes, which are the days on which the night and day are of equal length. They happen when the apparent position of the Sun (on the ecliptic) crosses the Earth's equator.The equinoxes are usually March 21 and September 22, and on those days the Sun has a declination of zero and is overhead at the equator.
In fact, the Sun's rays strike Buffalo, NY at various angles as the Sun rises on the eastern horizon, crosses to the South, and then sets in the west. The only angle that we're really interested in is the "local apparent noon", or "Sun transit" angle. Buffalo is a large city, and the angle will be different on the north edge or the south edge. Niagara Square, pretty close to the city center, is at latitude 42.88 degrees north. Consulting the Nautical Almanac Online for 2011, I see that the declination of the Sun as it passes Buffalo on March 21, 2011 will be 0 degrees 16 minutes north, or 0.27 degrees. On June 21, 23 degrees 26 minutes north, or 23.38 degrees. On September 21, the Sun will be at declination 0 degrees 39 minutes North, or 0.65, and on December 21, 23 degrees 26 minutes SOUTH, or 23.36. So, on March 21, the "local apparent noon" Sun elevation angle above the southern horizon will be 90 minus Buffalo's latitude of 42.88 degrees PLUS the declination of 0.27 degrees, or 47.39 degrees On June 21, the Sun's maximum elevation will be 90 minus 42.88 PLUS 23.38, or 70.5 degrees. I'll let you calculate the other two, remembering to subtract the declination when it is south.
The right ascension of Capricornus is approximately 21 hours, and the declination is around -20 degrees. These coordinates indicate the position of the constellation in the celestial sphere.
Sed says: TWICE. From the Northern Hemisphere perspective: Once on March 20/21 .... sun's rays moving northward, and again on Sept 20/21 with sun's rays moving southward.
The Sun has zero declination at the two equinoxes on March 21 and September 21 (approximately). At the autumn equinox in September it crosses the plane of the Earth's orbit from north to south, so its declination goes from positive to negative.
The declination of the sun changes most slowly near the times of the summer and winter solstices. At these points, the sun reaches its highest and lowest points in the sky, causing its declination to change gradually as it approaches these extreme positions.
The minimum declination of the sun occurs around the winter solstice, which is around December 21st in the Northern Hemisphere and June 21st in the Southern Hemisphere. At this point, the sun reaches its southernmost or northernmost point, resulting in the lowest declination.
The year has two equinoxes, which are the days on which the night and day are of equal length. They happen when the apparent position of the Sun (on the ecliptic) crosses the Earth's equator.The equinoxes are usually March 21 and September 22, and on those days the Sun has a declination of zero and is overhead at the equator.
The year has two equinoxes, which are the days on which the night and day are of equal length. They happen when the apparent position of the Sun (on the ecliptic) crosses the Earth's equator.The equinoxes are usually March 21 and September 22, and on those days the Sun has a declination of zero and is overhead at the equator.
The year has two equinoxes, which are the days on which the night and day are of equal length. They happen when the apparent position of the Sun (on the ecliptic) crosses the Earth's equator.The equinoxes are usually March 21 and September 22, and on those days the Sun has a declination of zero and is overhead at the equator.
The year has two equinoxes, which are the days on which the night and day are of equal length. They happen when the apparent position of the Sun (on the ecliptic) crosses the Earth's equator.The equinoxes are usually March 21 and September 22, and on those days the Sun has a declination of zero and is overhead at the equator.
In fact, the Sun's rays strike Buffalo, NY at various angles as the Sun rises on the eastern horizon, crosses to the South, and then sets in the west. The only angle that we're really interested in is the "local apparent noon", or "Sun transit" angle. Buffalo is a large city, and the angle will be different on the north edge or the south edge. Niagara Square, pretty close to the city center, is at latitude 42.88 degrees north. Consulting the Nautical Almanac Online for 2011, I see that the declination of the Sun as it passes Buffalo on March 21, 2011 will be 0 degrees 16 minutes north, or 0.27 degrees. On June 21, 23 degrees 26 minutes north, or 23.38 degrees. On September 21, the Sun will be at declination 0 degrees 39 minutes North, or 0.65, and on December 21, 23 degrees 26 minutes SOUTH, or 23.36. So, on March 21, the "local apparent noon" Sun elevation angle above the southern horizon will be 90 minus Buffalo's latitude of 42.88 degrees PLUS the declination of 0.27 degrees, or 47.39 degrees On June 21, the Sun's maximum elevation will be 90 minus 42.88 PLUS 23.38, or 70.5 degrees. I'll let you calculate the other two, remembering to subtract the declination when it is south.
The year has two equinoxes, which are the days on which the night and day are of equal length. They happen when the apparent position of the Sun (on the ecliptic) crosses the Earth's equator.The equinoxes are usually March 21 and September 22, and on those days the Sun has a declination of zero and is overhead at the equator.
Anywhere where the declination of the Sun is equal to your latitude. You can look up the declination of the Sun in the Nautical Almanac. Declination is the angle of a celestial body north or south of the celestial equator; the celestial equator is the same as the terrestrial one, extended out into space. On June 21, the Sun's declination is about 23.5 degrees north; on the equinoxes, it is zero. On December 21, the Sun's declination is about 23.5 degrees south.
As seen from the south pole, the sun rises once, around September 21, and sets once, around March 21, each year.
Right ascension is 21 h and declination is −36°.