Where does the Sun rise? Where does the sun set? Where the sun rises on the equator

If our planet did not revolve around the Sun and was absolutely flat, the celestial body would always be at the zenith and would not move anywhere - there would be no sunset, no dawn, no life. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to watch the sun rise and set - and therefore life on planet Earth continues.

The Earth tirelessly moves around the Sun and its axis, and once a day (with the exception of polar latitudes) the solar disk appears and disappears beyond the horizon, indicating the beginning and end of daylight hours. Therefore, in astronomy, sunrise and sunset are the times when the top point of the solar disk appears or disappears above the horizon.

In turn, the period before sunrise or sunset is called twilight: the solar disk is located close to the horizon, and therefore some of the rays, entering the upper layers of the atmosphere, are reflected from it onto the earth's surface. The duration of twilight before sunrise or sunset directly depends on latitude: at the poles they last from 2 to 3 weeks, in the polar zones - several hours, in temperate latitudes - about two hours. But at the equator, the time before sunrise is from 20 to 25 minutes.

During sunrise and sunset, a certain optical effect is created when the sun's rays illuminate the earth's surface and sky, coloring them in multi-colored tones. Before sunrise, at dawn, the colors have more delicate shades, while sunset illuminates the planet with rays of rich red, burgundy, yellow, orange and very rarely green.

The sunset has such an intensity of colors due to the fact that during the day the earth's surface warms up, humidity decreases, the speed of air flows increases, and dust rises into the air. The difference in color between sunrise and sunset largely depends on the area where a person is located and observes these amazing natural phenomena.

External characteristics of a wondrous natural phenomenon

Since the sunrise and sunset can be spoken of as two identical phenomena that differ from each other in the saturation of colors, the description of the sun setting over the horizon can also be applied to the time before sunrise and its appearance, only in the reverse order.

The lower the solar disk descends to the western horizon, the less bright it becomes and first turns yellow, then orange and finally red. The sky also changes its color: at first it is golden, then orange, and at the edge - red.

When the solar disk comes close to the horizon, it acquires a dark red color, and on both sides of it you can see a bright streak of dawn, the colors of which from top to bottom go from bluish-green to bright orange tones. At the same time, a colorless glow forms above the dawn.

Simultaneously with this phenomenon, on the opposite side of the sky, a stripe of an ash-bluish hue (the shadow of the Earth) appears, above which you can see a segment of orange-pink color, the Belt of Venus - it appears above the horizon at an altitude of 10 to 20 ° and in a clear sky visible anywhere on our planet.

The further the Sun goes beyond the horizon, the more purple the sky becomes, and when it drops four to five degrees below the horizon, the shade acquires the most saturated tones. After this, the sky gradually becomes fiery red (Buddha’s rays), and from the place where the sun’s disk set, stripes of light rays stretch upward, gradually fading, after the disappearance of which a fading strip of dark red color can be seen near the horizon.

After the shadow of the Earth gradually fills the sky, the Belt of Venus dissipates, the silhouette of the Moon appears in the sky, then the stars - and night falls (twilight ends when the solar disk goes six degrees below the horizon). The more time passes after the Sun leaves the horizon, the colder it becomes, and by the morning, before sunrise, the lowest temperature is observed.

But everything changes when, a few hours later, the red Sun begins to rise: the solar disk appears in the east, the night goes away, and the earth’s surface begins to warm up.

Why is the sun red

For example, they were convinced that if the sky remained red for a long time after sunrise, the day would be unbearably hot. Another sign said that if before sunrise the sky in the east is red, and after sunrise this color immediately disappears, it will rain. The rising of the red Sun also promised bad weather if, after its appearance in the sky, it immediately acquired a light yellow color.

The rising of the red sun in such an interpretation could hardly satisfy the inquisitive human mind for long. Therefore, after the discovery of various physical laws, including Rayleigh’s law, it was found that the red color of the Sun is explained by the fact that it, as having the longest wave, scatters much less in the dense atmosphere of the Earth than other colors.

Therefore, when the Sun is at the horizon, its rays slide along the earth's surface, where the air has not only the highest density, but also extremely high humidity at this time, which delays and absorbs the rays. As a result, only rays of red and orange colors are able to break through the dense and humid atmosphere in the first minutes of sunrise.

Sunrise and sunset

Although many people believe that in the northern hemisphere the earliest sunset occurs on December 21, and the latest on June 21, in reality this opinion is erroneous: the days of the winter and summer solstices are only dates that indicate the presence of the shortest or longest day of the year.

Interestingly, the further north the latitude, the closer to the solstice the latest sunset of the year occurs. For example, in 2014, at a latitude of sixty-two degrees, it occurred on June 23. But at the thirty-fifth latitude, the latest sunset of the year occurred six days later (the earliest sunrise was recorded two weeks earlier, a few days before June 21).

Without a special calendar at hand, it is quite difficult to determine the exact time of sunrise and sunset. This is explained by the fact that while rotating uniformly around its axis and the Sun, the Earth moves unevenly in an elliptical orbit. It is worth noting that if our planet were moving around the Sun, such an effect would not be observed.

Humanity noticed such time deviations a long time ago, and therefore throughout their history people have tried to clarify this issue for themselves: the ancient structures they erected, extremely reminiscent of observatories, have survived to this day (for example, Stonehenge in England or the Mayan pyramids in America).

For the past few centuries, astronomers have created lunar and solar calendars by observing the sky to calculate the times of sunrise and sunset.

Nowadays, thanks to the virtual network, any Internet user can calculate sunrise and sunset using special online services - to do this, just indicate the city or geographic coordinates (if the required area is not on the map), as well as the required date.

Interestingly, with the help of such calendars you can often find out not only the time of sunset or dawn, but also the period between the beginning of twilight and before sunrise, the length of day/night, the time when the Sun will be at its zenith, and much more.

And does it rise in the east? Since childhood, we have become accustomed to the fact that in the morning the Sun rises in the east and in the evening sets in the west. But is this really so?

It turns out not really. Indeed, sunrise usually occurs in the eastern sky and sunset in the western sky, but the exact position of the sunrise and sunset points varies throughout the year and depends on the time of year and the latitude of the place.

The Sun rises exactly at the point in the east twice a year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, on these same days it sets exactly in the west, and the length of the day is exactly half a day - twelve hours. After the spring equinox, the day begins to lengthen, and the sunrise and sunset points shift to the north. (Remember that the Sun must culminate above the point of the south. If it rises in the northern part of the sky, then it is clear that it will take longer than on the days of the equinoxes to reach the point of the south - this explains the increase in the length of the day.) So continues until the summer solstice - the Sun rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest, the sunrise and sunset points gradually move closer, and in the polar latitudes at some point they merge into one, at the north point. After this, the Sun stops setting below the horizon - polar day begins. On the day of the summer solstice in temperate latitudes, the points of sunrise and sunset are closest to the point of north, and the length of the day is greatest.

After the summer solstice, the sunrise and sunset points move back to the east and west points, and the length of the day gradually decreases. After the autumnal equinox (on this day the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west), the sunrise and sunset points again begin to approach each other, but in the southern part of the horizon, and the length of the day decreases. At those latitudes where there was a polar day for some time in the summer, a polar night will begin - for about the same amount of time as the Sun did not set in the summer, it will not appear above the horizon. This will happen when the sunrise and sunset points merge into one at the south point. After the winter solstice, the day begins to lengthen, the points of sunrise and sunset gradually move back to the points of east and west, and everything repeats again.

What is happening in the southern hemisphere? In the southern hemisphere, everything is the other way around: when our day length is greatest, it is shortest there; when we have the spring equinox, in the southern hemisphere it is the autumn equinox. In the southern hemisphere, the Sun culminates above the north point, but rises and sets as it does here - in the eastern and western parts of the sky, respectively.

So if they tell you that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, you can safely answer that this is not true.

Alexandra Grudskaya

Each of us has repeatedly observed the majestic picture, how the sun rises and sets. In the city it is not possible to observe this phenomenon in all its beauty, since here the horizon is obscured by houses and other large structures. City dwellers see the Sun only when it is high above the horizon. Good to watch Sunrise in a village, or even better in a field or on the open sea. In the morning, dawn gradually dawns in the eastern part of the horizon, the sky takes on a fiery purple color, and at the same time a gradual brightening begins. Then, first, the small upper edge of the solar disk slowly appears from behind the horizon. This edge gradually increases until, finally, the entire shining disk of the sun appears above the horizon in all its grandeur. At the same time, it seems as if a huge ball of fiery crimson color lies on the very surface of the Earth. This impression dissipates only when the Sun gradually rises above the horizon. It seems to us that it is gradually moving across the sky. Moving all the time from left to right, the Sun first rises higher, its color becomes more and more light yellow, and its size decreases.

Having reached its highest point, the Sun, moving in the same direction, begins to gradually decline and, finally, completely disappears behind the horizon. But before this, again, just like in the morning, near the horizon the Sun becomes fiery purple and again seems to increase in size.
At this time, a beautiful sight is presented to our eyes. The evening is dawning. Sky in the direction sunset covered with a thick crimson. One gets the impression that this is the glow of a large fire raging somewhere far away. Particularly beautiful colors can be observed at this time at sea; not only water, but also all surrounding objects and people acquire a special color, a special glow.

Air envelope

Why does the sky become so colored at sunrise and sunset? Our Earth, as we know, is surrounded by air envelope – atmosphere, which extends “up” to thousands of kilometers. The air shell has the greatest density at the surface of the Earth, and the “higher” it is, the more and more rarefied it becomes. Thus, we live at the bottom of a deep and vast ocean of air, in which colossal storms often occur, accompanied by electrical discharges, various currents of air masses and precipitation in the form of rain, snow and hail are observed; sometimes (after rain) a beautiful spectacle of a rainbow appears before our eyes; Often small solid bodies burst into our earthly atmosphere, and then against the background of the night sky we observe the phenomenon of a meteor. Thanks to the presence of air, the sky appears bluish to us during the day. In the old days, this blue air curtain was mistaken for some kind of solid, “crystal” firmament, which, in the form of a cap, seemed to cover the flat earth’s surface (more details:). In the morning and evening, when the Moon or Sun appears from behind the horizon or when they disappear behind the horizon, they appear to us reddish, purple. The Sun and Moon take on this color in the morning and evening because at this time we observe them through thicker layers of air than at the time when these celestial bodies are high above the horizon. It is known that the thicker the layer of atmosphere, the more rays are retained in it. The earth's atmosphere retains blue and green rays especially easily, and least of all red, orange and yellow. Due to this circumstance, the Sun, Moon and areas of the sky close to them in the mornings and evenings (when the Moon and Sun are low on the horizon) seem to us to be of some kind of crimson, orange or yellow-red color.

Misconceptions about the Earth

In the old days, people thought that our Earth stood motionless in the center of the Universe, and the Sun and all other heavenly bodies revolved around it, and that therefore night gave way to day, and day to night. For example, the monk Kuzma Indikoplov, who lived in the sixth century AD, believed that the Universe was like a chest of grandiose dimensions. In his book Christian Topography he writes that

“... the inhabited Earth rises from the south to the north higher and higher, so that the southern countries are much lower than the northern ones. Therefore, he says, the heavenly rivers Tigris and Euphrates, flowing from north to south, have a faster flow than the sacred river Nile, flowing from south to north. In the very north, he writes, there is a large mountain behind which the Sun is hidden. “From this,” says Kuzma Indikoplov, “there is a change of day and night.”

According to Kuzma Indikoplov, angels reside above the firmament of heaven, collecting clouds, sending rain and snow, drought and cold, wind and storm. Science has long destroyed these misconceptions about the Earth and about the sun setting behind the northern mountain.

Daily rotation of the Earth

The true reason for this phenomenon is that the Earth does not stand still, but constantly rotates around a certain axis all the time, making a full revolution during the day. As a result of this daily rotation of the earth, it seems to expose first one or the other side of its surface to the rays of the Sun.
The hemisphere facing the Sun is illuminated and heated by it. Here all nature is awake under the life-giving rays of the sun. It is day in this hemisphere. The other hemisphere, facing the opposite direction, is not illuminated by the sun's rays at this time, therefore, it is night there, and all nature falls asleep. Due to the constant axial rotation of the Earth, its hemispheres change their positions in relation to the Sun. Therefore, where there was night, day comes after a few hours, and vice versa. It should be noted that on the same meridian the time is the same everywhere, but on different meridians it is different. This circumstance introduces a certain order into almost all areas of national economic life.

“It’s time to finish work,” we say, the sun has already set.”

And indeed, when night falls, work stops almost everywhere. Nature and people fall asleep. But at the same time, the working day begins on the other hemisphere. So we alternate our rest, sleep and working time depending on the daily rotation of the Earth, and it rotates forever, without needing rest, like a “perpetual” motion machine. Only transport, regardless of sunrise and sunset, day and night, operates around the clock. The movement of railway trains is indicated by rails, a river steamer is shown by a buoy, and sea and air ships are helped to navigate the air and water spaces by lighthouses, a compass, a radio, modern navigators and the starry sky.

The sun is the source of life for our planet. The heavenly body caresses us with its warmth, illuminates us during the day and gives joy to everything that exists on Earth. Another important function: orientation assistance. Thanks to the sun, we can determine the cardinal directions and choose the right direction.

Sun way

Every morning the gentle sun calls us to awakening and new discoveries in this wonderful world. And in the evening, making its slow move across the sky, it goes beyond the horizon, giving you the opportunity to relax after a busy day of work. Where does this journey begin? Where does the sun set at the end of the journey?

The rise of the main luminary begins in the east. The sun leaves us at the end of the day in the west. After this, it continues its journey, but on the other side of our amazing planet. And in the morning it rises again in the east. This is how the picture described appears to us from Earth. Interestingly, ancient people considered this point of view to be incorrect. In this case, where does the sun actually set, and how does it appear again in the sky?

If you do not delve into the details of the worldview of the inhabitants of antiquity, then we can say that they were right. The fact is that our planet is part of the solar system, where the Sun is motionless and located in the center. The Earth moves around it in its orbit and, in addition to this movement, rotates around its imaginary axis. The planet makes a full revolution in 24 hours, in other words - in a day. That is why it seems to us that the places where the sun sets and where it returns in the morning are unchanged.

View from space

If it were possible to look at the solar system far from space (so as to see absolutely all the planets), then the picture would be as follows: all the celestial bodies of this system rotate in the same direction from west to east (counterclockwise). In fact, Venus rotates around its axis in the direction opposite to the rotation of other planets. There are assumptions by astronomers that many years ago a very powerful asteroid hit it and disrupted the direction of rotation with its impact. Uranus, too, under the influence of similar forces, seemed to be overturned. Now, watching it, you see the picture of rotation as if from the side.

North Pole and other parts of the world

If a person could study the movement of the main luminary from the North Pole, he would see the rotation of the Earth counterclockwise, as well as the place where the sun sets and how it rises. Visually, the movement of the celestial body will appear as a move from east to west. In fact, it will move east, and the Earth will rotate around its axis.

Interestingly, in different parts of the world the sun does not rise at the same time. For example, on the East Coast of the United States this occurs another 3 hours before those areas that are on the Western coast. Accordingly, sunset in different parts of the world occurs at different times.

Twilight

The immediate period of time before sunrise and before sunset is twilight. This is a particularly beautiful sight. The disk of the celestial body is located very close to the horizon, some of the rays enter the upper atmospheric layers and are reflected on the surface of the Earth. The duration of such a colorful spectacle lasts about 2 hours. But this is only in temperate latitudes. In the polar zones, twilight lasts several hours before sunset. Directly at the poles, this period takes from 2 to 3 weeks! At the same time, at the equator, before sunrise, twilight lasts only 20-25 minutes.

At this time, thanks to the optical effect, we see a stunning picture when the rays of the sun illuminate the surface of the Earth and the sky in multi-colored tones.

Orientation: how to determine the cardinal directions without a compass on the ground?

If you have a wristwatch with hands (not electronic), then in the “horizontal” position you need to turn it clockwise towards the sun. Drawing an imaginary bisector between the number 12 and the direction to the celestial body, we obtain a “north-south” line. It is also interesting that until noon, the south is to the right of the sun.

Understanding how to determine the cardinal directions without a compass, a person will be able to navigate anywhere and go in the right direction. This knowledge is very important, especially for tourists, forestry workers, hunters, sailors and people engaged in other activities.

The method described above can give relatively accurate results in northern latitudes. In temperate climates it works only partly (especially in winter). In the southern regions, the summer sun is high, so errors may occur. In addition, you need to take into account the transition to and from daylight saving time (as this affects the definition of noon).

It is also important to remember where the sun rises and where it sets in mid-latitudes. In these places, the main luminary rises in the summer in the northeast, and sets in the northwest. 3rd - in the southeast and southwest, respectively. Only 2 times a year the sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west. These are the days of the equinoxes - March 21 and September 23.

Shadow and navigation

There is another way to navigate by shadow. In unfamiliar places, when this need arises, you need to take into account different heavenly bodies. At night it can be the polar star, and during the day it can be the sun.

Understanding which side the sun sets from, you can determine other directions of the world and choose the right direction of travel. For example, in northern latitudes, when the time of summer nights comes, the setting sun is close to the horizon. Therefore, the sky on the north side is lighter than on the south.

It is known that the highest solar position can be determined by the shortest shadow. This corresponds to noon. The direction of such a shadow points to the north. It’s the same with the moon: if it’s full and occupies the highest position above the horizon, it means it’s in the south. This is the time when there is enough light to clearly distinguish shadows. Likewise, during a full moon, the shadow is the shortest. It's midnight. The direction of the shadow will point north.

The sun is a celestial object that can be seen from anywhere on the planet. The development and preservation of living nature on earth depends on it, since it is what gives heat. Every morning it lights up the sky and many are interested in the question, where does the sun rise?

Where does the sun come from?

The appearance of the sun begins in the east, and gradually moves across the sky, it sets on the opposite side in the west. In ancient times, people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, and that all heavenly bodies revolve around it. However, this point of view has long ceased to be scientific and has been successfully refuted.

The Sun is a star and motionless, while the Earth, moving in its orbit, revolves around it. But, nevertheless, this state of affairs creates the effect that we observe every morning - the sunrise begins in the east and ends in the west.

Why do people track the movement of the sun?

With the emergence of the need to measure time, people began to look for objects that would help them with this. A long time ago, it was believed that it was possible to find out how much time had passed only by the movement of the sun or moon (at night). Why are people so attracted to this celestial object and why is it so important for some to track its movement?

• The sunrise heralds the beginning of daylight, and its sunset the end.
• The biological clocks and rhythms of many living organisms on the planet are oriented towards it.
• For some, this is important to know when drawing up astrological charts and horoscopes.
• These indicators are also used by astronomers for various purposes.
• Changing the position of the sun in the sky allowed ancient people to create the first timekeeping system. The first stone sundial was even invented for this purpose.
• Counting days and months is also based on the position of the sun, including the modern Gregorian calendar. Where a day is measured from one sunrise to the next, and a year is equal to a full circle around a star.

From this we can conclude that the relevance of tracking the position of the earth relative to the sun does not lose its relevance today. In addition, scientists monitor its indicators, measure activity, predict magnetic storms, etc.

What benefits does the sun have for humans?

The benefits of the sun in the life of mankind cannot be underestimated. However, scientists continue to study its effect on the body. A group of scientists from Edinburgh found that if a person spends some time in the sun, the following processes are observed in his body:

• Blood pressure decreases.
• The risk of developing thrombosis is reduced.
• The body rejuvenates.
• Metabolism improves.
• The risk of stroke is reduced.
• Blood circulation improves.

In addition, the sun is an excellent prevention of heart attack, cancer or other pathologies. In addition, the sun produces vitamin D, which is so beneficial for everyone, it strengthens bone tissue and removes heavy metals from the body.

You can highlight the benefits of the sun:

• Promotes the production of serotonin, a hormone responsible for blood clotting. In addition, a sufficient amount of this substance improves mood, which is why it is also called the “happiness hormone.”
• Under the sun, biologically inert NO3 nitrite is released, which helps reduce blood pressure and eliminate the likelihood of developing heart failure or a heart attack.
• The sun's rays have an antibacterial effect, therefore, basking in the sun, wounds and scratches will heal faster, acne and pimples will disappear.

But this, of course, is not the entire list of beneficial properties that the sun's rays have. In addition, we should not forget about the general benefits of the sun for all life on the planet.

You shouldn’t think that the sun’s rays are so useful that you need to be exposed to them uncontrollably. In addition to a lot of benefits, they can cause just as much harm if you are careless with them.

• With prolonged exposure, a tan appears - this is a protective mechanism of the body that tries to cope with the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. If you do not take action and protect the skin at the first redness, you can easily get a serious burn. In some people, it even leads to the formation of skin cancer.
• You cannot look at the sun without sunglasses, as its strong brightness can blind or damage your vision.
• For those who suffer from dry skin, it is contraindicated to stay in the sun for a long time without moisturizer, as the rays can dry it out even more.
• If you do not protect your head with a panama hat or cap, you can get sunstroke or heatstroke. Its manifestations are: fever, increased heart rate, nausea. Sometimes people lose consciousness and even die if immediate help is not provided and the person is not taken to a cool, dark room, applying ice compresses.

Therefore, it is imperative that when you are in direct sunlight, you should take precautions and protect your head with a light-colored hat, drink more fluids, and wear glasses. Also try to avoid being outside when the sun is at its zenith.

The sun is a celestial body that gives warmth and light to all living things on the planet, rising in the east. But in addition to benefits, it can also cause harm, and this should not be forgotten.