Solar Angle Calculator
Ewoud Van der Cruyssen - Kavel10 BV
Overview
This transformer calculates the Solar Elevation and Solar Azimuth for a given geographic position and timestamp.
It implements the NOAA Solar Position Algorithm, providing highly accurate results (typically within ±0.0005° compared to NOAA’s reference calculator).
Description
The Solar Position Calculator determines the position of the sun relative to a point on Earth based on:
- Latitude
- Longitude
- Timestamp (UTC or Local Time)
and optionally a Time Zone offset.
The transformer computes:
- Solar Elevation (degrees):
The angle of the sun above the horizon. A value of 0° means the sun is on the horizon, while 90° means it is directly overhead.
- Solar Azimuth (degrees):
The compass direction of the sun measured clockwise from North (0° = North, 90° = East, 180° = South, 270° = West).
The computation follows the NOAA method, including:
- Julian day and century calculation
- Earth’s orbital eccentricity and mean anomaly
- Equation of Time correction
- True solar time and hour angle
- Solar declination and geometric relationships
- Atmospheric refraction correction for apparent elevation
This results in values identical to those from the official NOAA Solar Calculator.
Would you like to know more? Click here to find out more details!
