If you took a picture of the Sun at the same time each day, would it remain in the same position? The answer is no, and the shape traced out by the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc. ] over the course of a year is called an analemma [ http://www.uwm.edu/ ]. The Sun's apparent shift is caused by the Earth's motion [ http://zebu.uoregon ] around the Sun when combined with the tilt of the Earth's [ http://www.crh.noaa ] rotation axis. The Sun will appear at its highest point of the analemma [ http://solar-center ] during summer [ http://antwrp.gsfc. ] and at its lowest during winter. Analemmas [ http://www.jgiesen. ] created from different Earth latitudes [ http://www.cogtech. ] would appear at least slightly different, as well as analemmas [ http://www.wshs.fcp ] created at a different time each day. The analemma [ http://www.finseth. ] pictured to the left [ http://vrum.chat.ru ] was built up by Sun photographs [ http://www.shadow.n ] taken from 1998 August through 1999 August from Ukraine [ http://www.cia.gov/ ]. The foreground picture from the same location was taken during the early evening in 1999 July.
Explanation
If you took a picture of the Sun at the same time each day, would it remain in the same position? The answer is no, and the shape traced out by the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc. ] over the course of a year is called an analemma [ http://www.uwm.edu/ ]. The Sun's apparent shift is caused by the Earth's motion [ http://zebu.uoregon ] around the Sun when combined with the tilt of the Earth's [ http://www.crh.noaa ] rotation axis. The Sun will appear at its highest point of the analemma [ http://solar-center ] during summer [ http://antwrp.gsfc. ] and at its lowest during winter. Analemmas [ http://www.jgiesen. ] created from different Earth latitudes [ http://www.cogtech. ] would appear at least slightly different, as well as analemmas [ http://www.wshs.fcp ] created at a different time each day. The analemma [ http://www.finseth. ] pictured to the left [ http://vrum.chat.ru ] was built up by Sun photographs [ http://www.shadow.n ] taken from 1998 August through 1999 August from Ukraine [ http://www.cia.gov/ ]. The foreground picture from the same location was taken during the early evening in 1999 July.