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Fiza Ahmad
Sun earth relationship
.
Circle of illumination
Earth’s axial tilt
Earth’s equator
• It is an imaginary great circle normal to the earth’s axis, dividing the
distance between the earth’s poles along its surface into two equal parts
• Equator divides earth into two hemisphere called Northern hemisphere
and Southern hemisphere.
Prime Meridian
Latitude(Φ)
latitude of location is angular distance north or south of equator measured from the
center of earth
• Latitude is zero (0o) degree for Equator.
• 0-90oN(+ve)
• 0-90oS(-ve)
.
Declination angle (δ, in degree)
• It is the angular distance of sun’s ray
north or south of equator.
• Declination angle vary between 23.45o
on June to -23.45o on December 21.
• At the time of winter solstice(mid winter
in Northern hemisphere, tropic of
Capricorn) the sun rays would be 23.5o
south of equator(δ=-23.45o).
• At time of summer solstice (mid
summer in northern hemisphere tropic
of cancer)the sun rays would be 23.45o
north of earth’s equator(δ=23.45o)
• At the equinox the declination angle is
zero (0o)degree.
Summer solstice
• June 20-21
• Northern hemisphere tilt towards the
sun
• Southern hemisphere tilt away from
sun
• Subsolar point at tropic of cancer
23.50 N
• Above 66.5oN, 24 hours of
daylight(land of midnight sun)
• 66.5oS to 90oS zero hours of sunlight
(tilted away from sun)
Winter solstice
• Dec 21-22
• Northern hemisphere tilted
away from the sun
• Southern hemisphere tilted
towards the sun.
• Subsolar point is at 23.5oS, tropic
of Capricorn.
• Above 66.5oN, 24 hours of
darkness
Equinox
Spring (vernal) Equinox Fall (Autumnal) Equinox
• March 20-21 • Sep 22-23
• Subsolar point is at equator • Subsolar point is at equator
again
• Equal hours of day and night at
all locations
• Northern and southern
hemisphere not toward sun
Solar constant
• The solar radiation received from the sun on earth is almost parallel because
of the large distance between earth and sun.
• Although there is variation in solar energy flux due to slightly non circular
path of earth around sun and sun spot but non of the variation is significant
for solar energy applications.
• Measurements indicates that the solar energy flux received from the sun on
outside the earth’s atmosphere(known as extra-terrestrial)is essentially
constant.
• The solar constant (ISC) is the rate at which energy is received from the sun on
a unit area perpendicular to the rays of sun, at the mean distance of earth
from sun.
• The value of solar constant is 1367 W/m2
• Because of elliptical motion of Earth around the sun the distance
between the earth and sun varies throughout the year that causes the
variation in extra-terrestrial solar flux.
• the value of solar flux on Extra-terrestrial on a particular day can be
calculated using equation
=
1+0.033cos ()
• Solar radiations coming from the sun is reflected back to the space
from earth and its atmosphere.
Spectral solar irradiation, extraterrestrial and terrestrial
Pyranometer is
designed to measure
Pyrheliometer designed to Sunshine recorder is
radiation over a
measure beam radiation designed to measure
hemispherical field of
using a long narrow tube to the duration of bright
view. If shading ring is
collect only beam radiation. sunshine in a day.
used it measure
diffuse radiations
Pyranometer
• Used to measure global and
diffuse solar radiation over a •
hemispherical field of view.
• By attaching a shading
ring(movable its position can be
adjusted to prevent direct beam),
beam radiation can be prevented
from falling on the sensor surface
and hence diffused radiations can
be measured.
Pyranometer
• The pyranometers uses thermopiles for the measurement of temperature.
• The cold junction is connected to a surface which doesn’t receive any radiation.
• This emf will be in the range of 0-10mV that can be read, recorded and
integrated.
Pyrheliometer
• Used to measure beam solar irradiance
• Sun’s rays are focused by a glass sphere to a point on a card strip held in a groove in a spherical bowl
mounted concentrically with the sphere.
• Whenever there is bright sunshine the image formed is intense enough to burn a spot on the card
strip.
• As the sun moves across sky image move along the strip.
• Thus a burnt space whose length is proportional to the duration of sun shine is obtained on the strip.
• By measuring the length of the burned space we can find out the duration of bright sunlight on that
particular day
Sunshine recorder
• The most commonly used is
CAMPBELL-STOKES recorder.