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Solar Time

This document discusses basic earth-sun angles and solar time calculations. It defines solar altitude and azimuth angles, which specify the sun's position in the sky. Solar time is measured relative to solar noon, when the sun crosses the observer's meridian, but the solar day's length varies. A mean sun is defined to convert solar time to standard time using equations that account for longitude differences and the equation of time. Hour angle is the angular displacement of the sun from the local meridian due to earth's rotation, and is used to determine proximity to solar noon. An example calculation converts watch time to solar time for a location in India.

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Akshay Deshpande
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958 views3 pages

Solar Time

This document discusses basic earth-sun angles and solar time calculations. It defines solar altitude and azimuth angles, which specify the sun's position in the sky. Solar time is measured relative to solar noon, when the sun crosses the observer's meridian, but the solar day's length varies. A mean sun is defined to convert solar time to standard time using equations that account for longitude differences and the equation of time. Hour angle is the angular displacement of the sun from the local meridian due to earth's rotation, and is used to determine proximity to solar noon. An example calculation converts watch time to solar time for a location in India.

Uploaded by

Akshay Deshpande
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BASIC EARTH-SUN ANGLES:

Basic Needs of angular measurements:


- For estimation of solar radiation and designing the solar devices, the
knowledge of suns path in the sky on various days in a year at a
particular place is a fundamental pre-requisite.
- From our daily experience, the sun appears to move across the sky from
East to West direction following the path of a circular arc.
- The path of the sun in its diurnal motion is longer in summer and shorter
in winter
- In order to calculate the solar radiation at different times, it is necessary to
specify the position of the sun in the sky.
- For a complete specification of the suns position in the sky at a particular
time, we make use of two angles, namely the solar altitude and solar
azimuth angles.
- Fig shows the above referred angles.

Solar Time:
- In solar energy problems, it is always desirable to convert to clock time into
solar time.
- Solar time is measured with respect to solar noon
- This is the time when the sun is crossing the observers meridian.
- The difference between the two such consecutive solar noons defines a
solar day.
- The solar day is not always 24 hours of duration, due to precession of the
earths axis and orbital rotational variations.

So we cannot use a clock according to the solar time.


To overcome this difficulty, a fictitious sun is called mean sun is defined,
which transits the observer meridian at a fixed interval of time every 24
hours.
Two Successive transits of this mean sun across the same meridian define
one mean solar day.
Solar time is converted to standard time by the equation:

Solar time = Standard Time 4 (Lstandard-LLocal) +EOT


- There are two correction terms are introduced to convert the watch time
into solar time.
- First term, due to difference in the observers longitude and the longitude
on which the local standard time is based.
- The sun traverses each degree of longitude in 4 minutes.
- The (- ve) sign is used if the observer is in the east of reference meridian
- The (+ ve) sign is used if the observer is in the west of reference meridian.
- Second term, due to arising out of the variation in the length of the solar
day throughout the year and is called Equation of Time.
- This in minutes may be determined either by fig or using the following
equations:

E = 9.87 Sin 2B 7.53 Cos B 1.5 Sin B


-

Where, the Value of B is measured from,

360 * (n 81)
B
364
- where, n = Day of the year, 1< n < 365.
Local Solar Noon:
- The solar noon at a place is determined form the following equations:

Local Solar noon = 12 Equation of time in hours on


that day

(Longitude of reference meridian Observers longitude)/15


Numericals:
Calculate solar time on Feb. 2, 10.30 a.m. at Vellore
(79.1833E, 12.9833N)
Solar time = Watch Time - 4 (Lst - Llo) + EoT
n
= 33 (on Feb. 2)
EoT
= -13.5 min. (on February)
Solar time = 10.30 4*(82.5-79.1833) - 13.5 (minutes)
= 10 hours 03 minutes
Angular Measurements:
Hour angle():
-

Hour angle ():


- The angular displacement of the sun from east to west of the local
meridian due to rotation of the earth on its own axis.
- It gives how close the observer to the solar noon. (solar radiation
intensity is maximum).
- It is considered as - in the morning and + in the evening and at
the solar noon 0.
It is the angle through which the earth must turn to bring the
meridian directly in line with the sun.
It is determined by the following expression.
Hour angle () = 15*(Solar time 12) (Degrees)

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