Logo  analemma.m
position of sun in sky
       


Analemma example position of sun in sky

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Octave (Matlab) script to calculate position of sun in the sky %
% Peter Stallinga, February 2012                                 %
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

clear all;
hold off;
clc; home;

% Part I: Inspired by http://www.stargazing.net/kepler/sun.html
%1. Find the days before J2000.0 (d) from the table

function [azi,alti] = azialti(y, m, d, h, mins, north, east)
    h = h+mins/60.0;
   
    %1. Find the day:   
    d =  367 * y - floor(7 * (y +floor( (m + 9)/12))/ 4) + floor(275 * m / 9) + d - 730531.5 + h / 24;
   
    %2. Find the Mean Longitude (L) of the Sun
       %L = fmod(280.461 + 0.9856474 * d, 360.0);
       L = 280.461 + 0.9856474 * d;
       while (L<0)
           L = L+360.0;
       endwhile
      
    %3. Find the Mean anomaly (g) of the Sun
       g = 357.528 + 0.9856003 * d;
      
    %4. Find the ecliptic longitude (lambda) of the sun
       lambda = L + 1.915 * sin(g*pi/180.0) + 0.020 * sin(2*g*pi/180.0);
      
    %   (note that the sin(g) and sin(2*g) terms constitute an
    %    approximation to the 'equation of centre' for the orbit
    %    of the Sun)
   
       % beta = 0;
      
    %   (by definition as the Sun's orbit defines the
    %             ecliptic plane. This results in a simplification
    %             of the formulas below)
   
    %5. Find the obliquity of the ecliptic plane (epsilon)
   
       epsilon = 23.439 - 0.0000004 * d;
      
    %6. Find the Right Ascension (alpha) and Declination (delta) of  the Sun
   
       Y = cos(epsilon*pi/180.0) * sin(lambda*pi/180.0);
       X = cos(lambda*pi/180.0);
   
       a = (180.0/pi)*atan(Y/X);
   
       if (X < 0)
            alpha = a + 180;
       else
           if (Y < 0) && (X > 0)
               alpha = a + 360;
           else
               alpha = a;
           endif
       endif
       alpha;
      
       delta = (180.0/pi)*asin(sin(epsilon*pi/180.0)*sin(lambda*pi/180.0));
      
       % Part II:
From http://www.geoastro.de/elevaz/basics/index.htm
       %compute Sidereal time at Greenwich:
       T = d/ 36525.0;
         theta0 = 280.46061837 + 360.98564736629*d + 0.000387933*T*T - T*T*T/38710000.0;
         while (theta0<0)
             theta0 = theta0+360.0;
         endwhile
         theta0;
         theta = theta0 + east;
         tau = theta - alpha;
        
         beta = north;
         beta = pi*beta/180.0;
         delta = pi*delta/180.0;
         tau = pi*tau/180.0;
        
         alt = asin(sin(beta)*sin(delta) + cos(beta)*cos(delta)*cos(tau));
         az = atan2(- sin(tau) , (cos(beta)*tan(delta) - sin(beta)*cos(tau)));

         alti = 180.0*alt/pi;
         azi = 180.0*az/pi-180.0;
         if azi<-180.0
             azi=azi+360.0;
         endif
         if azi>180.0
             azi=azi-360.0;
         endif
endfunction

maanden = [31,28,31,30,31,30,31,31,30,31,30,31]; % months

y = 2011.0;
% Position of: Faro Vale da Amoreira
north = 37.028176;
east = -7.931132;

% part 1: analemmas:

for h=1:23
    i = 0;
    for n=1:365
        d = n;
        m = 1;
        while (d>maanden(m))
            d = d - maanden(m);
            m = m+1;
        endwhile
          
             [az, alt] = azialti(y, m, d, h, 0, north, east);
        %if ((alt>0) && (az<-30.0))
        if (alt>0)
            i=i+1;
            az0h(h, i)=az;
            alt0h(h, i)=alt;
        endif
    endfor
    aserieslen(h)=i;
endfor

% part 2. Trajectory on day 21 of each month:

for m=1:12
    n=0;
    d = 21;
    h=23.00;
    mins=0;
    alt = 100;
    while (h>0)
        [az,alt] = azialti(y, m, d, h, mins, north, east);
        %if ((alt>0) && (az<-30.0))
        if (alt>0)
            n=n+1;
            az21m(m,n)=az;
            alt21m(m,n)=alt;
        endif
        mins=mins-1;
        if (mins<0)
            mins=mins+60;
            h = h-1;
        endif
    endwhile
    bserieslen(m)=n;
endfor

hold off;
for h=1:23
    if aserieslen(h)>0
      plot(az0h(h,1:aserieslen(h)), alt0h(h,1:aserieslen(h)),'bo');
      hold on;
    endif
endfor
for m=1:12
    if bserieslen(m)>0
      plot(az21m(m,1:bserieslen(m)), alt21m(m,1:bserieslen(m)),'k-');
    endif
endfor
xlabel('Azimuth (degrees)');
ylabel('Altitude (degrees)');
axis('tight');

title('Position of Sun 2011. 0^o is South, -90^o is East, +90^o is West');




For more information, contact me at The University of The Algarve,

Prof. Peter Stallinga
http://www.stallinga.org