Wilson Central School District

Earth Science Journal!

#15: Drawing the Sun's (apparent) Path!
Date: 1/2/25

Notes: Drawing Polaris and the Sun's path during the Solstices and Equinoxes.

• • Draw Polaris (same as observer's latitude)
  • Draw the sun's path on the Equinoxes. 
    __(Subtract your latitude from 90° = noon sun on the equinox)
    __(Sun rises and sets due East and West)
  • Draw the solstices by subtracting or adding 23.5 degrees. 
    __(Doesn't rise and set due East and West)
    Summer Solstice: add 23.5° to the equinox (Sun's path is highest)
    Winter Solstice: subtract 23.5° from the equinox (Sun's path is lowest)

Wilson, New York
Latitude = 43° North

1. What is the altitude of Polaris in Wilson, NY? 43 degrees high above the due northern horizon
2. What is the noon sun's altitude on September 23^rd? 47 degrees
3. What is the noon sun's altitude on the June Solstice? 70.5 degrees
4. What is the noon sun's altitude on December 21^st? 23.5 degrees
5. Draw the path of the sun during October.  The noon sun would be about 40 degrees high due South
6. In what direction does the sun rise in June? Northeast

7. According to the image above, label the sun's path below A, B, C, or D.

 
C = Summer Solstice, A= Winter Solstice, D+B = Equinoxes

Notes: The 23.5° tilt of the earth's axis, spinning at 15°/hour as it revolves around the sun,
causes the sun to move across the sky at 15°/hour and its path to rise higher in the sky as we approach summer and fall to its lowest position on the first day of winter!

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion3/sunpaths.html  

Let's put both perspectives together.

Draw the sun's path on the celestial hemispheres above.

Draw the Sun's Path for Miami, Florida
Latitude = 26° North
 
8. Draw and label Polaris and the Paths of the Sun (Solstices and Equinoxes) 

9. Solar Noon on the Equinoxes =  64°
10. Solar Noon on the Summer Solstice =  87.5°
11. Solar Noon on the Winter Solstice = 40.5°

No place in the Continental United States does the Sun ever appear directly overhead!
You would need to travel somewhere between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
There is only one state between these lines of latitude. Can you guess where?

12. Which State in the USA does the Sun pass through the observer's Zenith?

https://www.wrnsstudio.com/lahaina-noon-beyond-a-shadow/

Lāhainā Noon is a tropical solar phenomenon that occurs twice a year in Hawaii when the sun is directly overhead at solar noon.

Objects appear challenging to understand perspective because they cast no shadows!

What is this?

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sky-gate

Would you be able to draw the Sun's Paths if your Celestial Sphere looked like this?
Miami, Florida
Latitude = 26° North

13. On the diagram above, label the paths you drew (A, B, C, D) according to the diagram below. 
Be careful!

How many daylight hours do we (in Wilson) get on these important dates?
14. June 21st = about 15 hours
15. December 21st = about 9 hours
16. The equinoxes = about 12 hours

Answer to the above!

Use this website for help
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion3/sunpaths.html

Bonus
Summarize the following videos.

Watch "Mr Beast Destroyed Flat Earth" on YouTube

Explain how Mr. Beast proved that the Earth is NOT flat!

The sun is above the horizon for 6 months at the South Pole!

Solar photography destroys Flat Earth?

Flat-Earthers Travel To Antarctica To Test Theories, But Are Quickly Humbled.
Lo and behold, they didn't discover a giant ice wall guarded by NASA.

A group of flat Earthers has ventured to the southernmost land of Antarctica in an attempt to "end the debate over the shape of the Earth” – although we’re pretty sure that was already achieved by astronomers from Ancient Greece, the Islamic Golden Age, the Renaissance, etc, etc.
The trip was part of a project called the Final Experiment organized by Will Duffy, a pastor from Colorado who “hopes to end the debate over the shape of the Earth.” He set up an expedition whereby four flat Earthers and four “globe Earthers” were flown to Antarctica to witness the continent's midnight Sun.
Antarctica's midnight Sun is one of the many things that prove Earth is spherical because it can only occur on a tilted and rotating sphere, where the axial tilt during summer positions the South Pole to face the Sun continuously for 24 hours. This would be impossible on a flat plane, like a flat Earth.
Flat Earthers often like to claim that the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 prevents civilians from visiting the southernmost continent in a bid to hide the true shape of planet Earth. However, Pastor Duffy wanted to show this wasn’t the case.
"I created The Final Experiment to end this debate, once and for all. After we go to Antarctica, no one has to waste any more time debating the shape of the Earth," Duffy said in a statement.
Of course, this assumes the whole "experiment" isn’t an elaborate hoax aimed at tricking us "globe Earthers." That seems highly unlikely, but we’ll let you know if anything changes – not to sound conspiratorial or paranoid...
While most of the Flat Earthers didn’t consider the experience definitive proof that the Earth is spherical, they accepted the existence of the 24-hour Sun in Antarctica – a phenomenon that poses significant challenges for most of their flat Earth theories.
"Sometimes you are wrong in life. I thought there was no 24-hour sun. In fact, I was pretty sure of it,” Jeran Campanella, a well-known flat Earther and content creator, said--
"I realize that I'll be called a shill for just saying that and you know what, if you're a shill for being honest so be it - I honestly believed there was no 24-hour sun... I honestly now believe there is. That's it," he added.
“What does it mean? You'll have to figure it out. To me, it means that the AE [Azimuthal equidistant] map no longer works, but that doesn’t mean that I’m right,” said Campanella.
Others were more skeptical about the implications of the 24-hour Sun, claiming that it doesn’t totally rule out the possibility of a flat Earth.
"I know a lot of people want to know what my take is in terms of how does it work and stuff. Quick teaser: I have seen a physical demonstration that could show this working, but I do think that some of the data we're going to have from this trip will help to clarify if that is what's actually happening,” commented Austin Whitsitt, another prominent flat Earther.
If you’re tempted to visit Antarctica yourself and witness the spherical wonders of Earth, be prepared to spend big: the participants' flights cost $31,495. Then again, there are plenty of ways to personally prove the Earth’s spherical shape for free.
https://www.iflscience.com/flat-earthers-travel-to-antarctica-to-test-theories-but-are-quickly-humbled-77254

How much of the Earth can you see, and how does that explain your horizon?

Make a model showing the different paths of the sun throughout the year for a specific latitude. 

Use this website for help
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion3/sunpaths.html