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You can verify the angle of
the sun for yourself. Look at the position of the sunrise and sunset as
the sun is still partially behind the horizon (not above). It should never
set or rise to the north of the Tropic of Cancer which officially runs
horizontally around the globe through Mexico at midpoint. From Dallas, TX,
on June 21, 2005, the sun was rising in the northeast and setting in the northwest at a
northerly 26 degree angle. The sun should never be north of Dallas at
anytime. As we move farther past the summer solstice, the angle will
naturally decrease, but this is a normal seasonal change and it does not
mean the axis tilt has not increased.
The angle of the sunrise and
sunset will vary depending on the latitude coordinates from where you are
viewing the sun. Note or photograph the exact positions where the sun
rises and sets behind the horizon. The angles must be noted by viewing
from a single point on the north side of your home (see image example
above).
Use Google Earth to get a
satellite overview of your location. This will give you the compass true
north direction and your latitude & longitude coordinates. You can
also use the satellite image to draw a line to the locations on the
horizon to see the angle of the sun from your location.
Note that the angles will
begin to decrease each day past the summer solstice on June 21st which
will be the farthest northern point of the sun. But it should never be
setting to the north of Central Mexico at any time because the sun is at
its highest point over Mexico on June 21st. But that is no longer the
case since the earth's axis has shifted. It is now setting north of
Dallas, TX.
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