A Year of Sunrises
Image Credit & Copyright:
Luca Vanzella
Does the Sun always rise in the same direction?
No.
As the months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too.
The featured image shows the direction of sunrise
every month during 2021 as seen from the city of
Edmonton,
Alberta,
Canada.
The camera in the image is always facing due east,
with north toward the left and south toward the right.
As shown in an
accompanying video,
the top image was taken in 2020 December,
while the bottom image was captured in 2021 December,
making 13 images in total.
Although the
Sun always rises in the east in general,
it rises furthest to the south of east on the
December solstice,
and furthest north of east on the
June solstice.
In many countries, the
December Solstice is considered an official change in season:
for example the first day of winter in the North.
Solar heating and stored energy in the
Earth's surface and atmosphere are
near their lowest
during winter, making the winter
season the coldest of the year.