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Solar Radiation Parameters: Coordinate Systems: Lecture-5

This document discusses different coordinate systems used in solar prediction: 1) Latitude and longitude define positions on Earth's surface. Longitude is measured east/west of Greenwich meridian, and latitude is measured north/south of the equator. 2) Right ascension and declination define positions in the sky, with right ascension measured eastward from the vernal equinox and declination measured north/south from the celestial equator. 3) Time zones standardize civil time but solar time varies by longitude and causes the equation of time, which accounts for the elliptical orbit and varies from -16 to +16 minutes throughout the year.

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Rishabh Dev Shukla
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40 views

Solar Radiation Parameters: Coordinate Systems: Lecture-5

This document discusses different coordinate systems used in solar prediction: 1) Latitude and longitude define positions on Earth's surface. Longitude is measured east/west of Greenwich meridian, and latitude is measured north/south of the equator. 2) Right ascension and declination define positions in the sky, with right ascension measured eastward from the vernal equinox and declination measured north/south from the celestial equator. 3) Time zones standardize civil time but solar time varies by longitude and causes the equation of time, which accounts for the elliptical orbit and varies from -16 to +16 minutes throughout the year.

Uploaded by

Rishabh Dev Shukla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture-5

Solar Radiation Parameters:


Coordinate systems
Dr. Rishabh Dev Shukla
Electrical Engineering Department, Budge
Budge Institute of Technology Kolkata
Coordinate systems used in solar
prediction
• Longitude/latitude

• Right ascension/declination coordinates

• Time
Latitude and Longitude
Latitude and Longitude
• Geographic coordinates
used on the earth.
• A system of polar
coordinates.
• Longitude is measured from
the Greenwich meridian.
• Latitude is measured from
the Equator.
• Any position can be
uniquely specified by a
longitude and latitude.
Latitude and Longitude
• For precise applications (e.g. geodetic surveying), the earth is
modeled as an ellipsoid (i.e. like an egg).

• Circles of longitude are called meridians and are also great


circles.

• Since circles of latitude do not cut the centre of the earth


(except the equator), they are not great circles.

• The exception is the equator, which is a great circle.


Right Ascension/Declination Coordinates

• Used to calculate the


position of celestial objects.
• Right ascension is
calculated clockwise from
the vernal equinox,
• Declination is calculated as
the angle from the celestial
equator to the object(+ve
north), subtended at the
centre of the celestial
sphere.
Right Ascension/Declination Coordinates

• Vernal equinox,
– two moments in the year when the Sun is exactly above the Equator
and day and night are of equal length;
– also, either of the two points in the sky where the ecliptic (the Sun’s
annual pathway) and the celestial equator intersect.

• RA will vary according to the earth’s orbital position.

• Right ascension/declination of the sun will vary on a daily


basis.
Time
• Time is the third major
coordinate system of prime
importance.
• Line through the observer’s
zenith (i.e. vertically
overhead) and to the North
Pole is called the observer’s
meridian.
• This is a great circle
following a circle of
longitude.
Time
• Two systems of time are commonly used:
– Local/Solar) time
– Civil time.
• Noon by local time is calculated when the sun is on the
observer’s meridian.
• Every line of longitude will have its own unique solar time.
• Due to the need to standardize time for civil purposes, time
zones were introduced (i.e. civil time).
• Indian Standard Time (IST, 25.15° North Latitude and 82.58°
East longitude) is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT, Longitude=0).
• GMT is often used synonymously with Universal Time
Coordinate (UTC).
Time
• Earth’s orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical.
• Accordingly, length of a solar day will not be constant
throughout the year.
• Solar Day---time between successive crossings of the sun on
the observers meridian)
• Fictitious sun (called the mean sun) has been invented due to
the civil requirements.
• The length of a mean day is designed to be an average of all
the days in the year.
• The difference between the true sun and this fictitious sun is
called the equation of time.
Equation of Time
• The equation of time varies between -16 and +16 minutes (of time)
throughout the year.
• Universal time (UT) is an internationally agreed method where time is
calculated by the fictitious mean sun and is referenced to the Greenwich
meridian.
20

15

10
Equation of time (min)

-5

-10

-15

-20
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Equation of Time

 0.000075 + 0.001868cos B − 0.032077sin B 


EQT = 229.2  
 −0.014615cos 2 B − 0.04089sin 2 B 

360
Where B = ( n − 1)
365

EQT = Equation of time


n = day number
Hour Angle (ω)
• This is the angle defined as the
angle between the plane of the
meridian containing the point of
interest and the meridian that
touches the earth-sun line.
• The hour angle is zero at solar
noon.
• The hour angle increases by 15
degrees every hour.
• An expression for the hour
angle is, where ts is the solar
time in hours.
ω =15(ts -12) (degrees)
Thanks

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