Sun path diagram

Sun shading catalogue, Adequate shading: Sizing overhangs and fins, published by United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in 2018, states: ‘Sun path diagrams are a convenient way of representing the sun’s changing position in the sky throughout the year. They are projected onto a horizontal plane, on which the four cardinal points (North, South, West and East) are represented. The plane has a base with concentric circles and radial lines. The position of the sun at any time of the day can be plotted on the horizontal plane. It is therefore possible to develop (a) specific diagram for any latitude. The values of solar altitude β are represented by the circumferences (outermost corresponds to β = 0°, horizon, while the centre corresponds to β = 90°, zenith). The values of solar azimuth α are indicated by the radial lines, and can be read out as the angular distance from the south-pointing coordinate axis.’

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