Earth completes one full rotation each day, making the Sun appear to rise and set. If the Sun passes directly overhead, by how many degrees does its position in the sky change every hour?
360 deg /24 hrs = 15 deg/hr
15
Earth completes one full rotation in 24 hours. Therefore, it takes 24 hours for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky. In other words, the Sun moves 360 degrees in 24 hours, leading to an average change of 15 degrees per hour.
To determine the number of degrees the Sun's position in the sky changes every hour, we need to understand the concept of Earth's rotation and the resulting celestial motion. Here's how you can calculate it:
1. Earth completes one full rotation in approximately 24 hours, which means it rotates 360 degrees in that time.
2. Therefore, in one hour, Earth rotates 360 degrees divided by 24 hours, which gives us 15 degrees.
Hence, the Sun's position in the sky changes by approximately 15 degrees every hour as Earth rotates on its axis.