The changes in the Sun's position in the sky depend on the date and time of day, and change how shadows are positioned on the ground.
Such needs are not well suited to the modern world, where few of us are farmers, and more to the point, we have calendars. The reasons to learn about the motion of the Sun appeal to historical need - the Sun's motion is an indicator of the seasons and can be used to plan when to plant and harvest crops.
Over the course of the year, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves north and south, and its path through the sky is higher or lower in the sky depending on the season. Astronomy classes often spend time learning about the motions of celestial objects in the sky, and how those motions change over time. Our original motivation for this project was inspired by teaching introductory astronomy. Step 1: Underlying Principle: Seasonal Astronomy If used in the classroom setting: this activity is suitable for high school science students who have a knowledge of geometry and trigonometry in the college setting, it is suitable for intro physics or astronomy students. A common question that arises in these explorations is, "when was this picture taken?" As it turns out, you can answer that question - this Instructable will show you how.
A fun past time for many of us (especially our students) is looking at their own homes on these satellite images, and identifying their own cars and backyard gardens and recreation sites. If you've played around with these sites at all, you soon discover they have a satellite layer, showing high resolution images of virtually anywhere on Earth. At your fingertips, with your computer or you phone, you can instantly see a map of anywhere in the world, and find directions to your favorite coffee shop or pizzeria. One of the wonders of the Modern World is Google Maps and other online mapping services.