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UNIT 2: Solar Geometry

 Solar constant
 Extraterrestrial radiation
 Sun-earth astronomy
 Examples
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Solar Constant

Conservation of energy requires that

the total energy flux coming out of
Sun the sun must also pass through a
L = 3.86 x 1026 W
sphere at 1 AU.

The
Th energy fl
flux d
density
it att 1 AU iis
L
= 1367 Wm-2.
4πr²

This is the Solar Constant.

Area of a sphere = 4πr²
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Extraterrestrial Radiation

1420

1400

3
1380
Wm-2

Solar constant = 1367 Wm-2

W

1360

1340

1320
0 90 180 270 360
Day of year
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Extraterrestrial Solar Spectrum

Source: C. Wehrli,1985
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Ecliptic

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Ecliptic E li ti
Ecliptic
Autumnal Equinox
Summer Solstice

23,5°

Winter Solstice

Vernal Equinox
Celestial Equator
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Ecliptic

The ecliptic is the region of sky (region of the celestial sphere) through which the Sun appears to
move over the course of a year. This apparent motion is caused by the Earth's orbit around the Sun,
so the ecliptic corresponds to the projection of the Earth's orbital plane on the celestial sphere. For
this reason, the Earth's orbital plane is sometimes called the plane of the ecliptic.
Due to the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis with respect to its orbital plane, there is an angle of 23.5o
between the ecliptic and the celestial equator.
http://cosmos.swin.edu.au
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Solar Declination

Summer solstice
23.45°

Vernal Autumnal
equinox equinox
to Sun
Feb Apr Jun Aug Oct Dec
Equatorial
plane
l
Winter
solstice
-23.45°

Variation of the declination angle:

Declination angle δ = 23
23.45
45° δ ≅ 23.45
23 45 * sin [360 / 365 * (284 + n)]
with n = day of the year
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Equation of Time

E ≅ 9.87sin(2B) - 7.53cos(B) - 1.5sin(B)

with B = 360° (n - 81) / 364 and
n = day of the year
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Time Zones

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Solar Geometry: Angle of incidence θ

with:
with: latitude φ
solar declination δ
hour angle ω
slope s
surface
f azimuth
i hγ