Second Story Views

Only a few days twice a year, the sunset is visible from my second story porch. Man-made structures block the view the rest of the year which require a walk to the beach instead.

Why is the sun only visible from my porch for a short time?

During sundown each evening when the sun touches the horizon, the bright orb appears to shift its position from the previous day. Actually, it is not the sun that is moving, but our planet is providing the movement.

As Earth rotates each day, it also circles the sun in its yearly elliptical orbit. The combination of both determines the sun’s position in the sky during daytime and the horizon during sunset. When the sun appears to reach the most northerly or southerly point in the sky, the solstice occurs and the path of the sun is reversed.

In the Northern Hemisphere, after the winter solstice, the sun looks as if it is inching north. Subsequently, after the summer solstice the sun appears to travel south. The Northern Hemisphere follows this pattern yearly while the opposite occurs south of the Equator. 

I look forward to the next sunset view on the porch in my favorite chair.