Screenshots of the Sun’s Path in Sketchup

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The pictures on this page were created using both Google Sketchup and the Sketchup Sun Position plugin. If you want to experiment with generating the sun’s path on your own, you can download both Google Sketchup and the Sketchup Sun Position plugin for free.

Understanding the Pictures

From left to right in most all of the pictures on this page, we have the path of the sun on the December Solstice, the Equinox, and the June Solstice. More info on these events can be found at this Wikipedia link.

In the northern hemisphere, the December Solstice is the shortest day of the year and is called the Winter Solstice. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere though, the December Solstice is the longest day of the year and is called the Summer Solstice.

There is a similar situation with the June Solstice. The June Solstice is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and is called the Summer Solstice. In the southern hemisphere though, the June Solstice is the shortest day of the year and is called the Winter Solstice.

The Equinox occurs in both March and September and marks the halfway point between the Winter and Summer Solstices.

Latitude = 0 degrees

We’ll start by taking a look at the path of the sun as it appears on the equator. Notice how there isn’t a difference in the amount of sun light between what is typically the longest (left) and shortest days (right) of the year.

Latitude = 45 Degrees North and South of the Equator

Here is a picture of the sun’s path at 45 degrees north of the equator.

Here is a picture of the sun’s path at 45 degrees south of the equator. Notice how this picture is almost identical to the above picture except that the angle is reversed.

Latitude = 90 Degrees North

Here is the sun’s path at 90 degrees north of the equator. The summer Solstice is located at the top. Notice how the sun never sets during this time.

During an equinox, the sun’s path travels directly in line with the horizon.

In the picture below, there is a side shot of the above picture so that you can see the sun during the winter Solstice (bottom). The sun never rises above the horizon during the winter Solstice, and it is dark 24 hours a day.

Every location on Earth gets an average of 12 hours of daylight over the course of the year. This means that the short winter days are made up for in the long summer days.

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