Astronomy/sun location

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Expert: Steven LJ Russo - 3/8/2006


Question
For a given latitude, how do you calculate
the direction of sunrise on the first day
of summer?
Thank you  

Answer
Well, generally speaking, the Sun will rise SE, E, or NE, and set SW, W or NW anyplace in the Northern Hemisphere.  Of course, if you are at the North Pole, it will not rise or set depending on the season.

Quite frankly, no one calculates this stuff any more, since there are dozens of computer programs that figure this out for any given latitude.

Contact your local planetarium for more on this.

Steve

Astronomy

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Steven LJ Russo

Expertise

As a space science educator in a planetarium, my work centers around teaching people about the night sky and the solar system. I have a strong background in those areas, plus the history of NASA and spaceflight, and meteorology.

Experience

Experience in the area. I have been an amateur astronomer for 47 years, and have been teachng space science in planetariums for 34 years. For 15 years I was a radio and television meteorologist, and for the past 20 years I have been a space science writer for two newspapers in New York State. I am a member of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society and the International Planetarium Society. I have had a number of articles published in several astronomy journals, including "The Constellation" and the "Planetarian". Education/Credentials. I hold a B. S. from Wagner College and an M. S. from State University of New York at Oswego. Awards and Honors. I have been awarded the "Fellows" award from the International Planetarium Society for more than 20 years of continuous service in the planetarium field.

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