Sun Angle Lab - Results

Sun Angle Lab - Introduction & Results

One of the major "Reasons for the Seasons" is the change of the height of the Sun at noon during the course of the year. Most people think that the Sun is always directly overhead, at the zenith, at noon. This isn't true. For most locations the Sun is never at the zenith. As we follow the Sun during the school year, we will see where the Sun is located in the sky from different latitudes.

The process is simple:

Go out at local noon on roughly the 21st of each month. If you don't know when local noon occurs for your location, go to the NOAA Sunrise/Sunset Calculator page to find the answer.
Place a meter stick on the ground, and aim it toward the Sun. CAUTION: AVOID LOOKING AT THE SUN FOR ANY PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME. A QUICK GLANCE IS ENOUGH TO DO THIS ACTIVITY. Move the meter stick back and forth until the stick shows no shadow on the ground.
If possible, take a digital image of the person holding the meter stick.
Measure the angle that the stick makes with the ground using a protractor or image processing software such as NIH Image for the MacIntosh, or Scion for the Pc.
Send us your image along with your angle measurement, time of sunrise and sunset, temperature at local noon, and any other "tidbits" of information you would want added to your page.

If you wish to join, simply e-mail me with the name of your school and its latitude, and I'll add you to our list.

Follow the Sun as it makes its yearly journey from autumnal equinox to summer solstice as the schools listed below measure the angle of the Sun.

2006 - 2007 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Go to 2008 - 2009 Participating Schools

CLICK ON THE DOT TO VISIT THEIR WEBSITES

SCHOOL PARTICIPANT'S BLOG	LATITUDE (N)	SEPT. ANGLE	OCT. ANGLE	NOV. ANGLE	DEC. ANGLE	JAN. ANGLE	FEB. ANGLE	MARCH ANGLE
ACADEMIA COTOPAXI	0.14 S	90	77	X	67⁴	Comet McNaught Images 75	83	90
ST. JUDE CATHEDRAL SCHOOL	27.78	50	45	41	38	X	X
ST. MARTHA'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL	29	60	X	37	X	X	50
SOLOMON SCHECHTER DAY SCHOOL	38	51	36	29³	27.5	34	41	48
FROST MIDDLE SCHOOL	38.84	55.2	39.8	32.2³	27.2⁶	32.4	45.5	56.4
MONTICELLO MIDDLE SCHOOL	40.03	42	X	35	28	X	X	50
HORACE MANN MIDDLE SCHOOL	42.08	49.3	30	X	26.08⁷	25.4	X	48.6
GATES INTERMEDIATE	42.19	48	37	29	24	32	39	48
ESTACADA JUNIOR HIGH	45.29	41	Clouds	32²	17	35	X
NEWBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL	46.35	38	Clouds	22.5	20	X	X
NORMAN COUNTY EAST HIGH SCHOOL	47.15	43	30.8	24	20	24	34
CHIEF ZZEH GITTLIT SCHOOL	67.34	X	7	3¹	0⁵	≈2	10	≈20

¹Be sure to click on the "3" to visit the Chief Zzeh Gittlit site to see the great sundog video taken at local noon when the sun was only 3 degrees above the southern horizon!

²Reading was taken on November 9th.

³Reading was taken on November 27th.

⁴Reading taken at 12:40 p.m.

⁵Be sure to visit the Chief Zzeh Gittlit site to read a description of what it's like to teach in perpetual darkness!

⁶Reading taken at 1:25 p.m.

⁷Reading taken on 1/3/07