Does Sunrise and Sunset happen in a straight line?

Question

In Gainesville, Florida it doesn't seem to happen. I can safely say it is around 150 deg.

This experiment was done within a week from 1st October 2007.

Thank you RickB. To put my question more graphically, I will describe my experiment.

Step1: I stood facing the sun in the morning. I took a piece of paper and marked an arrow from my center towards the sun.

Step2: Return during sunset and do the same.

Step3: Now you have two arrows with an angle of separation between them

Step4: Measure this angle of separation. It doesn't come out to be 180 deg.

Answer 1

I'm not quite sure what you are asking. No, the Sun's apparent track across the sky is not a straight line from the sunrise point to the sunset point, but an arc. Over the northern hemisphere, the Sun will rise and appear to move southward as it climbs higher. At solar noon, the Sun's apparent position is at it's highest point in the sky. After that, it shifts back in a northward direction while descending to it's sunset point on the horizon.

Answer 2

Sunset ans Sunrise are two points on the horizon. Any two points can be connected with a straight line.

What you probably mean is whether they occur on exactly opposite sides of the sky, or whether sunset, sunrise and YOU ever form a straight line. The answer is yes, at the equinoxes when sunrise is (pretty much) exactly east and sunset is (pretty much) exactly west.

Since we just had an equinox last week, you must not have done your experiment recently.

Answer 3

Your observation is correct. Generally speaking, the point of sunrise and the point of sunset are not diametrically opposite on the horizon. But it depends on which time of year you do your experiment.

If you can picture it, it helps to imagine the celestial sphere as if it contained parallel "latitude" circles (more correctly called "declination" circles). At the north celestial pole (roughly in the position where the north star Polaris is), the declination circle is a mere point. As you move farther away from the pole, the circles get wider and wider until you reach the "celestial equator" (the widest of the declination circles); and then they start shrinking again as you get closer to the _south_ celestial pole (the southermost circles are always below the horizon from points of view in the northern hemisphere).

In its daily path through the sky, the sun rides along on one of these latitude circles. If you can picture the circles in your mind, you will see that, generally speaking, the two points where a circle touches the ground are not diametrically opposite. This means the points of sunrise and sunset are not diametrically opposite.

Between March and September, the sun's position in the sky is always on a "northern" declination circle, and so its rising point is always north of east, and its setting point north of west, during that half of the year. On September 20/21, the sun lies on the celestial equator and at that point its rise/set points are diametrically opposite. Then it shifts to southerly declination circles, where it remains until March 20/21.

Answer 4

ON the days of the equinoxes, March 21 and Sept. 21, it is a straight line. The greatest deviation from a straight line occurs at the solstices, Dec. 21, and June 21.

Answer 5

I think you mean, "Does the line connecting sunrise & sunset go through the polar axis?"

The answer is yes - but only two times during the year - during the Spring & Vernal equinoxes. Otherwise, we'd **always** have 12 hours of day & 12 hours of night, but that's only true on those two days out of the year.

Answer 6

Not to nit pick here, but:

Cycswxmans answer is correct on one level. We do see an arc. But, I believe it's only an arc if we do a panoramic picture and lay it flat, and compare it to the horizon. In actuality , it is beyond me how to picture it in 3D because you have to keep facing the sun as the day progresses. We tend to picture things in a rectangular frame, or, projected onto a sphere. OK I have raised more questions here than I answered! Cyswxmans answer is better than mine.

Answer 7

I am not sure what you are trying to ask... but the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the line the sun travels in the sky is called the ecliptic, and it is more like a circle than a straight line.

Answer 8

At the equinox at the Equator, the sun rises and sets vertically; ie 90 degrees to the horizon. I think that is what you mean.

Trying to picture it, that is the only place and times that will happen.

I'd be happy for someone to tell me that is wrong.

Good question (if that is what you meant).

Answer 9

Sunset & Sunrise are phenomena that if you based on what
human sees happens in a stright line, obviously, because we can not perceived the eath`s curvature.If you`re asking about
strictly in regards of the phenomenom itself, it depends on where are you located on earth`s (geographically understanding)

Answer 10

The solar and the encompassing sky look pink at sundown as a results of fact at that element countless the blue color modern-day in solar has been scattered out and faraway from our line of sight, abandoning specifically pink color interior the direct solar beam that reaches our eyes.