bringthelight2 OP t1_iuhenfu wrote on October 31, 2022 at 10:52 AM

Reply to comment by _OBAFGKM_ in ELI5 On the first day of fall does the sun take the same route through the sky everywhere? by bringthelight2

Ok so this means on the north pole the sun would appear to move “slower” as it would still take 12 hours to go from Southeast to Southwest, as opposed to the equator where it’s going from one far side to the other.

Target880 t1_iuhpljf wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:47 PM

On the north pole, there is only south, the is no east-west or north. Talk instead of what latitude line the sun is over.

For any 12 hours period, the sun will move 180 degrees The angular speed of the sun is 15 degrees per hour regardless of where on earth you and what time of year. The sun's angular movement is a result of earth's rotation and it orbits around the sun, not the location on earth

Technically it changes a tiny amount because the time between two solar noons are 24 hours +-30s because the orbit is the ecliptic. The rate it move close to the horiont changes a bit to because of atmospheric refraction.

But the general idea of the angular speed of the sun in the sky is very close to 15 degrees per out is very close to correct for any location and day on earth, That is when the sun is in the sky.

fyhjik98 t1_iuhtjku wrote on October 31, 2022 at 1:21 PM

At the equinox, the angle of the rising sun towards the north on the north pole will be accompanied by an angle of the setting sun to the south. This is also true if you are at the equator.

However, the sun will appear to be lower in the sky the closer you get to the poles. So you might say that the sun is moving slower, as its curve on the sky appears to be shorter.

In reality, your own rotation speed decreases when you get closer to the poles. If you are stationed 1 meter from the geographical north pole, then during the 12h equinox sun period, the earth rotation will have moved you approximately 3 (pi) meters. If you are stationed at the equator, the rotation will have moved you half of the earth's circumference, i.e. approximately 20,000,000 meters.