Sun path, sometimes also called day arc, refers to the daily and seasonal arc-like

path that the Sun appears to follow across the sky as the Earth rotates and orbits
the Sun. The Sun's path affects the length of daytime experienced and amount of
daylight received along a certain latitude during a given season.

The relative position of the Sun is a major factor in the heat gain of buildings
and in the performance of solar energy systems.[1] 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.[2][3]
Sun paths at any latitude and any time of the year can be determined from basic
geometry.[4] The Earth's axis of rotation tilts about 23.5 degrees, relative to the
plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. As the Earth orbits the Sun, this creates
the 47� declination difference between the solstice sun paths, as well as the
hemisphere-specific difference between summer and winter.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter sun (November, December, January) rises in
the southeast, transits the celestial meridian at a low angle in the south (more
than 43� above the southern horizon in the tropics), and then sets in the
southwest. It is on the south (equator) side of the house all day long. A vertical
window facing south (equator side) is effective for capturing solar thermal energy.
For comparison, the winter sun in the Southern Hemisphere (May, June, July) rises
in the northeast, peaks out at a low angle in the north (more than halfway up from
the horizon in the tropics), and then sets in the northwest. There, the north-
facing window would let in plenty of solar thermal energy to the house.

In the Northern Hemisphere in summer (May, June, July), the Sun rises in the
northeast, peaks out slightly south of overhead point (lower in the south at higher
latitude), and then sets in the northwest, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere in
summer (November, December, January), the Sun rises in the southeast, peaks out
slightly north of overhead point (lower in the north at higher latitude), and then
sets in the southwest. A simple latitude-dependent equator-side overhang can easily
be designed to block 100% of the direct solar gain from entering vertical equator-
facing windows on the hottest days of the year. Roll-down exterior shade screens,
interior translucent-or-opaque window quilts, drapes, shutters, movable trellises,
etc. can be used for hourly, daily or seasonal sun and heat transfer control
(without any active electrical air conditioning).

Everywhere around the world during the equinoxes (March 20/21 and September 22/23)
except for the poles, the sun rises due east and sets due west. In the Northern
Hemisphere, the equinox sun peaks in the southern half (about halfway up from the
horizon at mid latitude) of the sky, while in the Southern Hemisphere, that sun
peaks in the northern half of the sky. When facing the equator, the sun appears to
move from left to right in the Northern Hemisphere and from right to left in the
Southern Hemisphere.

The latitude (and hemisphere)-specific solar path differences are critical to

effective passive solar building design. They are essential data for optimal window
and overhang seasonal design. Solar designers must know the precise solar path
angles for each location they design for, and how they compare to place-based
seasonal heating and cooling requirements.

In the U.S., the precise location-specific altitude-and-azimuth seasonal solar path

numbers are available from NOAA � the "equator side" of a building is south in the
Northern Hemisphere, and north in the Southern Hemisphere, where the peak summer
solstice solar altitude occurs on December 21.

Shadow of Vertical Stick at Solar Noon

On the equator, the sun will be straight overhead and a vertical stick will cast no
shadow at solar noon on the equinoxes. On the vernal equinox, north of the subsolar
point (on the equator) the vertical stick's shadow will point a little westwards of
true north (NNW) reading 336.5� from true north and little eastwards of true south
(SSE) reading 156.5� from true north. On the autumnal equinox, north of the
subsolar point (on the equator), the shadow will point a little eastwards of true
north (NNE) reading 23.5� from true north (and south of the subsolar, the shadow
will point a little westward of true south (SSW) reading 203.5� from true north).

The same stick will cast no shadow on the summer solstice in the Northern
Hemisphere when the subsolar point is on the Tropic of Cancer 23.44� north of
equator. Although north of 23.44�N the shadow will point towards true north and
south of 23.44�N the shadow will point towards true south. The reverse occurs on
the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere when the subsolar point will be on
the Tropic of Capricorn 23.44�S and a vertical stick will cast no shadow along that
point. But north of the Tropic of Capricorn solar noon shadows will point towards
true north and south of the Tropic of Capricorn shadows will point towards true
south.

The solar noon shadows of objects on points beyond and below subsolar points will
point towards true north and true south respectively only when the solar
declination has its maximum positive (d? = +23.44�) or maximum negative (d? =
-23.44�) value. On the other hand, on the equinoxes when the sun is neither
declined north nor south (d? = 0�) and solar time noon shadows point NNW north of
the equator and SSE south of the equator on the vernal equinox (and point NNE north
of the equator and SSW south of the equator on the autumnal equinox).