How does solar altitude, diameter, and day length change daily and throughout the year?

Let’s prove distance doesn’t matter in seasons by investigating SOLAR ALTITUDE, DAY LENGTH and SOLAR DISTANCE…

Would the sun have the same

appearance if you observed it from other planets?

Why do we see the sun at different altitudesthroughout the day?

We use the altitude of the sun at a time called solar “noon” because of daily solar altitude

changes from the horizon at sunrise and sunset to it’s maximum daily altitude at noon.

If you think solar noon is at 12:00:00, you’re mistaken! Solar “noon” doesn’t usually

happen at clock-noon at your longitude for lots of reasons!

SOLAR INTENSITY and ALTITUDE - Maybe a FLASHLIGHT will help us see this relationship! Draw the beam shape for 3 solar altitudes in your notebooks!

How would knowingsolar altitude daily and seasonally help

make solar panels (collectors)work best?

Where would the sun have to be located to capture the maximum amount of sunlight energy?

SOLAR PANELS at different ANGLES ON GROUND

Draw the sun in the right position to maximize the light it receives on panel

For the northern hemisphere, in which general direction would they be pointed?

For the southern hemisphere, in which direction would they be pointed?

How do shadows show us solar altitude?

You used a FLASHLIGHT and MODELING CLAY to show you how SOLAR INTENSITY, ALTITUDE, and SHADOW

LENGTH are related! Using at least three solar altitudes and locations, draw

your conceptual model of this relationship in your notebooks… Label:

Sun compass direction Shadow compass direction Solar altitude Shadow length (long/short) Sun intensity

What did the lab show us about howSOLAR ALTITUDE, DIAMETER, & DAY

LENGTH relate to each other?

YOUR GRAPHS are PROBABLY the easiest way to SEE the RELATIONSHIPS.

What can you measure to determine the relationship between solar

altitude, solar intensity, and seasons?

Angle of Insolation & Temperature

Tuesday – December 3, 2013 – Day 4Where on Earth are the daily solar altitudes higher

and lower than Endicott?

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayL3 –Peer review

QUIZ-SOLSTICE/EQUINOX

LAB 3 SOLAR DATA

QUIZ-PHYS ORBITS QUIZ-RATES

What does solar altitude and intensity look like in Endicott in 3-D and how does it compare to other

places around the world?

Before we get started, let’s draw a picture in our notebooks to show us what the dome model used in the

SUN’s PATH LAB is trying to show us.

OBSERVER

APPARENT PATH OF SUN IN THE SKY IN

THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

A conceptual way to model solar altitude…

1. In which direction does the sun rise on May 15th? What about October 1st?

2. In which direction does the sun set on May 15th? What about October 1st?

3. In the Northern Hemisphere, the noontime sun is always found in what part of the sky?

WHAT EVIDENCE DO I USE FOR LAB QUESTIONS?

1. How does the amount of daylight compare to the amount of darkness on the equinoxes?

2. Does the noontime sun ever reach the zenith in New York State?

3. Looking at the paths that you drew on the diagram, explain why the summer solstice has the greatest amount of daylight.

WHAT EVIDENCE DO I USE FOR LAB QUESTIONS?

Where are the times of day(sunrise, solar noon, and sunset) for each season?

Lab Exit ticket - Using your knowledge of Earth Science…

In the title, add ENDICOTT at LATITUDE 42oN so you remember this is very specific data. Eventually we will branch out to other places on Earth!

Label the celestial meridian and the zenith for the observer

Label each path of the sun with the season name, range of starting dates, and whether it is a solstice or equinox.

Label each solar noon with its maximum solar altitude angle.

For each path, label sunrise, sunset, and solar noon and include an arrow for the direction it travels on that path. Then label the compass direction (azimuth and cardinal) for each if you are the observer in Endicott.

For each path, list the day/night length.

For each path label the locations of minimum (twice) and maximum solar intensity (once) during the day.

Label the path with the maximum solar intensity and minimum solar intensity.

For each season, draw in the observer’s relative shadow length at solar noon in the correct direction