The Exact Time of Sunrise and Sunset
We can work out when the sun will rise or set using tables and by understanding our location well. If you look online or at…
Tag: sunrise
Is this a Sunrise or a Sunset?
Is this a sunrise or sunset? And Why? Spoiler alert… answer below… Moss on the roof suggests that is more likely the north side of…
Happy March Equinox!
Happy March Equinox! The sun will rise and set north of east and west from tomorrow. In the northern hemisphere this means its arc in…
We Have Left the Darkest Two Months
In the northern hemisphere, we have left the darkest two months of the year. The next time the sun rises exactly behind that tree again…
What are Anticrepuscular Rays?
If there was no atmosphere the daytime sky would like the nighttime one, but with a fiercely bright star where the sun was. Air is…
Why does the Gnomon on a Sundial Point South?
The pointy bit of a sundial is called a ‘gnomon’. It is the part that casts the shadow and in the northern hemisphere it points…
The Sun is Now Over the Southern Hemisphere
This morning I headed out early into the hills. It was strangely satisfying to watch the sun rise south of east for the first time…
Winter Solstice in Texas
My thanks to Dan Acosta for this image of winter solstice sunrise yesterday from Corpus Christi, on the coast of Texas. The red arrow shows…
The Darkest Two Months of the Year
The sun is well over the southern hemisphere now. Sunrises and sunsets are well south too. In the northern hemisphere we have entered the darkest…
Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd’s Warning
Latest News: The Secret World of Weather book contains hundreds of weather signs. As the shepherds warn us, a red sky in the morning is…
The Difference Between Sunrise and Sunset
Have a look at this photo and see if you can tell whether it is a sunrise or sunset? Yes, it’s tricky. Sunrises and sunsets…
Scorpius Returns
In this image the three brightest objects in the sky are, from left to right, Venus, the moon and Jupiter. But look carefully to the…
Sharpening Skills at the Start and End of the Day
Just before you see the sun rise in the morning or just after it has set for you in the evening, try to work out…
The Equinox. It’s as clear as night and day.
When does the line between day and night become vertical? By which I mean, when does it run from the North Pole straight down to…
Prickly Lettuce, A Compass Plant
Prickly lettuce is known to some of its navigating friends as the ‘compass plant’ and to its Roman friends as ‘lactuca serriola’. In truth it…
Venus at Dawn
Not too many words needed this morning. Venus at dawn, over a misty valley. You might just be able to make out Arcturus, hiding behind…
Chankillo and the Solar Triangle
In the desert of western Peru there are the remnants of a civilization that still holds many mysteries. Archaeoastromomers are able to deduce a few…
Sunrise and Sunset Direction
It would be true to say that I would not be writing this blog if the sun rose in the same place each day. In…
The Supermoon
Just managed to snap the ‘supermoon’ as it rose above the woodland to the east of me. This photo was taken tonight at 19.03 GMT.…
Dawn on the Downs
I woke very early this morning and felt restless so headed into the Downs for a walk. I listened to the Shipping Forecast in the…
Happy Spring Equinox!
Happy Spring Equinox! My plans this morning, as announced in the Telegraph, were to head to the top of a hill and catch the sun…