The Dutch Observatory

April 12, 2016 on 4:22 pm | In Sun | Comments Off

A Year’s project comes to an end.

Over a year ago I started on the Astronomical League’s Analemma program.  Now, this program asks not only for you to record the position of the Sun over the duration of a year at your local noon, but it also asks you to calculate your latitude on Earth, the Equation of Time over the year, and even asks you to calculate the eccentricity of Earth’s orbit around the Sun based only using the data you recorded over the year.. Well, I am glad the year is over and I believe I did not do too bad….  We’ll have to wait what the coordinator from AL tells me.  Anyway, simultaneous to this, I made two more Analemmas using pin-hole cameras.  One tilted about 15 degrees, the other around 33.  The exposure times for these cameras was 2 minute exposure at Local Noon – 5 and -3 minutes.  On the 15 degree image you can also see the tree line behind the house as well as a one day arc of the Sun.