North On the equinoxes, the midday sun is directly above at the equator. After passing over 23.5 degrees south latitude (the Tropic of Capricorn), the midday sun is always in the north. At the poles, the midday sun is vertically upward.
South On the equinoxes, the midday sun is directly below at the equator. After passing over 23.5 degrees north latitude (the Tropic of Cancer), the midday sun is always in the south. At the poles, the midday sun is vertically downward.
West In the northern hemisphere, it is morning in the west and evening in the east. In the southern hemisphere, it is evening in the west and morning in the east.
East In the northern hemisphere, it is morning in the east and evening in the west. In the southern hemisphere, it is evening in the east and morning in the west.
Southern hemisphere summer solstice: June 21st In the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the longest day of the year is reached. At the South Pole, night lasts from mid-December to mid-January, while in New Zealand it is mid-February. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the shortest day of the year is reached.
On any given day, the sun moves through our sky in the same way as a star does. It rises somewhere along the eastern horizon and sets somewhere in the west. If you live at a mid-northern latitude (most of North America, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa), you will always see the noon sun somewhere in the southern sky. At the equinoxes (spring and autumn), daytime and nighttime are equal in length, so the sun is directly over the center of the earth during its midday appearance.
At other times of the year, there is a difference between night and day. During winter, when the days are longer than the nights, the sun is found in the south after midnight and north before sunrise.
During summer, when the days are shorter than the nights, the sun is located in the north after midnight and south before dawn.
So the direction the sun is seen in the sky depends on the time of year and whether you're living at a place with seasons. At midsummer and midwinter, the sun is in the south and south-southwest. In fall and spring, it's in the north and northeast.
This information only tells us where we can find out what direction the sun is in the sky. To see when it's noon, we need another source or tool for calculating solar time. For more on this topic, see my articles about solar calendars and clock times.
The sun would be directly overhead (90 degrees from all horizon directions; the zenith) at noon in the southern hemisphere (the winter solstice, December 21) as seen from a latitude of 23.5 degrees south at midday (the winter solstice). In the northern hemisphere (the summer solstice, June 21) it would be at its lowest altitude at noon (the nadir), located 23.5 degrees north at midday.
In addition, there are two more points on the horizon where the sun is completely hidden by clouds or is not visible over land. These are called "nun" and "ilon". A location can only be at one place at a time - either it has the sun at its zenith or it doesn't. If it does then that's where you have to be to see it at its highest point in the sky. If it doesn't then you can't say that the sun is at its zenith even if it actually is because there is no way for you to know.
Now, assuming that this location is within the tropics, i.e. between the equator and the poles, then when the sun is at its highest point in the sky (at noon on the winter solstice), it will be directly above the center of the earth.
On the equinoxes, the equator is the circle where the sun is directly above at midday. The Arctic and Antarctic Circles intersect at +66.8 degrees latitude. This implies that the sun will not be visible from the Arctic Circle on December 21, when it is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn at noon. However, it will be visible from the Antarctic Circle on March 20, when it is also directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at noon.
In contrast, the tropics are circles centered on the Earth's axis of rotation that pass through the poles. The tropics are the circles that contain the regions where the earth's surface is either heated by the sun or has soil capable of sustaining life. All points within the tropics are equal in height above sea level, regardless of their location around the globe.
The only real difference between the tropics and the subtropics is how far south they go. The tropics extend as far south as 35 degrees N or 75 degrees S, while the subtropics extend down to 20 degrees N or 60 degrees S. Everything below these lines is considered sub-tropical territory.
The term "tropical" comes from the Latin word for hot, tropicalis, which describes the region north of the equator and west of the international date line. Anything in this region experiences four seasons but tends to have very hot and humid conditions all year round.
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