Sun Moving North in Hemisphere

[Rexedgar]

Our house is almost exactly aligned with the points of the compass. Front door faces south and the deck is on the rear facing north. A few weeks ago I noted the shadows on the deck boards and took not of the number of slats the sun hit. Nine boards were initially in the sunshine. Today, I noted that eleven were exposed to the sun and then later in the afternoon there were twelve in the sun. I understand that as the summer equinox gets closer the sun will appear further north, but why in the course of the same day would there be a significant difference. My schooling is long in the past. Doesn’t the earth travel in a specific path or is there some variance. I included a photo from today to illustrate my question. Compass reads 354 degrees directly off the deck.

View attachment 67232403

 

[lefty louie]

Waiting for a flat earther to chime in.

 

[longview]

Our house is almost exactly aligned with the points of the compass. Front door faces south and the deck is on the rear facing north. A few weeks ago I noted the shadows on the deck boards and took not of the number of slats the sun hit. Nine boards were initially in the sunshine. Today, I noted that eleven were exposed to the sun and then later in the afternoon there were twelve in the sun. I understand that as the summer equinox gets closer the sun will appear further north, but why in the course of the same day would there be a significant difference. My schooling is long in the past. Doesn’t the earth travel in a specific path or is there some variance. I included a photo from today to illustrate my question. Compass reads 354 degrees directly off the deck.

View attachment 67232403

Daylight saving time, would move the high point to 1pm.

 

[azgreg]

Could be a result of the change in axle obliquity.

 

[Rexedgar]

Could be a result of the change in axle obliquity.

Huh??

 

[Rexedgar]

Daylight saving time, would move the high point to 1pm.

The long shadow is almost directly east/west. That wouldn’t affect the high point, would it?

 

[azgreg]

Huh??

 

[lefty louie]

Mark a spot every day for 1 year, same time every day (as much as possible), then compare year to year day for day. I'll wait for the results.

 

[Rexedgar]

Axial, I get it now. Axle made me think you were goofing on me like LL is trying to.

 

[azgreg]

Axial, I get it now. Axle made me think you were goofing on me like LL is trying to.

Axle was a mistake, I meant axial. sorry

 

[Rexedgar]

Axle was a mistake, I meant axial. sorry

No worries, ru a scientist?

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

The long shadow is almost directly east/west. That wouldn’t affect the high point, would it?

Yes it does.

Further north the differences are more noticeable. On Dec 21, the sun at noon is much lower in the sky than on Jun 21 at noon

Look at this quick picture I drew

The horizontal lines are where the sun would hit in the winter (left side) and the summer (right side)

 

[Harshaw]

Our house is almost exactly aligned with the points of the compass. Front door faces south and the deck is on the rear facing north. A few weeks ago I noted the shadows on the deck boards and took not of the number of slats the sun hit. Nine boards were initially in the sunshine. Today, I noted that eleven were exposed to the sun and then later in the afternoon there were twelve in the sun. I understand that as the summer equinox gets closer the sun will appear further north, but why in the course of the same day would there be a significant difference. My schooling is long in the past. Doesn’t the earth travel in a specific path or is there some variance. I included a photo from today to illustrate my question. Compass reads 354 degrees directly off the deck.

View attachment 67232403

This photo is facing south, and the slats run north/south?

EDIT: I see you answered above that the long shadow is east/west, so never mind.

 

[Rexedgar]

This photo is facing south, and the slats run north/south?

Arrow is approx due south. Slats east/west.

 

[Harshaw]

Arrow is approx due south. Slats east/west.

Yes, I caught that after posting.

 

[Rexedgar]

Yes it does.

Further north the differences are more noticeable. On Dec 21, the sun at noon is much lower in the sky than on Jun 21 at noon

Look at this quick picture I drewView attachment 67232404



The horizontal lines are where the sun would hit in the winter (left side) and the summer (right side)

Not sure I was clear. This is a variance in a few hours, same day.

 

[longview]

The long shadow is almost directly east/west. That wouldn’t affect the high point, would it?

If it is what I think you are saying the high point of each day will get further and further out until the summer solstice,
after which point it will go back the other way until the winter solstice.

 

[azgreg]

No worries, ru a scientist?

Nope. I'm an engineer with a small manufacturing facility that specializes in aerospace and tight tolerance parts. I can't say who our newest customer is but their reusable rocket boosters are bad ass.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

Not sure I was clear. This is a variance in a few hours, same day.

In that case another yes.

At noon (or 1 pm with DST) the sun would be at it's highest point in the sky, any shadows would be the shortest at this time. Before noon they would get shorter and shorter as time went by. Getting longer every second after noon passed

 

[Rexedgar]

Nope. I'm an engineer with a small manufacturing facility that specializes in aerospace and tight tolerance parts. I can't say who our newest customer is but their reusable rocket boosters are bad ass.

I watch the news! Chicks dig the “tight tolerance parts” as well!

 

[Exquisitor]

Our house is almost exactly aligned with the points of the compass. Front door faces south and the deck is on the rear facing north. A few weeks ago I noted the shadows on the deck boards and took not of the number of slats the sun hit. Nine boards were initially in the sunshine. Today, I noted that eleven were exposed to the sun and then later in the afternoon there were twelve in the sun. I understand that as the summer equinox gets closer the sun will appear further north, but why in the course of the same day would there be a significant difference. My schooling is long in the past. Doesn’t the earth travel in a specific path or is there some variance. I included a photo from today to illustrate my question. Compass reads 354 degrees directly off the deck.

View attachment 67232403

Google online planetarium and go to https://in-the-sky.org/skymap.php .

Select show ecliptic and I like to label stars and show the galactic plane too.

Sometimes the ecliptic is far Northwest or short Southwest and it's opposite on the East. This means the sun sets short or long of West while the Sunrise goes from North to South I think a twice a year.

Also the Sun is on the meridian from twelve minutes to and from noon.

The latest Sunrise occurs around November 21 and the shortest day Dec 21 and after that is the shortest afternoon.

In 13,000 years the North Pole will be over Wisconsin having made a circle around Alaska. When the pole hits the North Shore the South pole goes out over water and in 13,000 years the South Shore of Antarctica is like the Gulf Coast and the present Poles like Wisconsin.

 

[Grand Mal]

Our house is almost exactly aligned with the points of the compass. Front door faces south and the deck is on the rear facing north. A few weeks ago I noted the shadows on the deck boards and took not of the number of slats the sun hit. Nine boards were initially in the sunshine. Today, I noted that eleven were exposed to the sun and then later in the afternoon there were twelve in the sun. I understand that as the summer equinox gets closer the sun will appear further north, but why in the course of the same day would there be a significant difference. My schooling is long in the past. Doesn’t the earth travel in a specific path or is there some variance. I included a photo from today to illustrate my question. Compass reads 354 degrees directly off the deck.

View attachment 67232403

My guess- the compass points to magnetic north, not true north. Magnetic north drifts, and depending on where you are can really steer you wrong if you don't adjust for the difference.

 

[RAMOSS]

Huh??

It's the title of the axis. The earth tends to 'wobble' a bit, and currently the axis is tilted at 23.4 degree's and is mildly decreasing.

 

[Deuce]

It's the title of the axis. The earth tends to 'wobble' a bit, and currently the axis is tilted at 23.4 degree's and is mildly decreasing.

Yeah but not on a timeframe of weeks.

 

[Kal'Stang]

Our house is almost exactly aligned with the points of the compass. Front door faces south and the deck is on the rear facing north. A few weeks ago I noted the shadows on the deck boards and took not of the number of slats the sun hit. Nine boards were initially in the sunshine. Today, I noted that eleven were exposed to the sun and then later in the afternoon there were twelve in the sun. I understand that as the summer equinox gets closer the sun will appear further north, but why in the course of the same day would there be a significant difference. My schooling is long in the past. Doesn’t the earth travel in a specific path or is there some variance. I included a photo from today to illustrate my question. Compass reads 354 degrees directly off the deck.

View attachment 67232403

The sun and our orbit are always different day to day but every year on those same days the sun is in the same spot. Here's a simple example to show what's happening.



This picture is of the 9/11 memorial in NYC. It was designed so that on 9/11 at 11:11am the image that you see on the ground there is fully lit up. At any other time of the day or any other day that image is not completely lit up. This same technique has been used many times through out history for lots of memorials. The Washington Monument for example was made to where once a year the tip of its shadow points directly towards the doors of the WH (sorry, can't remember which day). There are other cultures that recognized this also through out history and also made such monuments. Some of which I believe are still quite functional even today.

Mind you however that eventually, over time these things DO change as our axis changes, the earths rotation slows a bit every year, and even our orbit changes slightly. But in the short term its quite reliable to know exactly what time and what day it is just by knowing the suns position in the sky. Unfortunately you also have to be a math whiz to be able to figure it out. And even they generally need help with measuring instruments.