This captivating image showcases the journey of the Sun through the sky during the winter solstice (bottom), equinox (middle), and summer solstice (top) in Bursa, Turkey, between 21 December 2007 and 20 June 2008. Using a fisheye lens, the photographer captured the Sun's positions at regular intervals from sunrise to sunset on three different days, illustrating the changing lengths of day and night throughout the year. The variations in the Sun’s daily path across the sky, its height at midday, and the positions of sunrise and sunset, as well as the length of a day, depend on Earth’s axial tilt relative to its orbit around the Sun. The series was taken from a rooftop in Bursa, where the local terrain adds its own unique touch by occasionally obstructing the horizon. Oriented with north at the top and south at the bottom, this visual diary serves as a stunning representation of the Sun’s path for those residing in mid-northern latitudes. Tunç Tezel/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
March 20 2026 14:46 UT1
#Sun crosses #celestialequator heading northward
#vernalequinox in #northernhemisphere
#daylight period will continue to lengthen until #summersolstice
#southernhemissphere #seasons are reversed
#astrophysics #astrophotography #calendar #equinox #timekeeping #solstice 🍎🧪
![Illustration shows that the two equinoxes occur at intersections of the Sun's apparent path (the ecliptic) and the projection of the Earth's equator on to the sky (the celestial equator) while the solstices occur when the Sun reaches its maximum southern or northern distance from the celestial equator. The fall equinox is also labeled the first point of Libra while the spring equinox is also called the first point of Aries. [public domain image courtesy of Divad (2010) via Wikimedia Commons]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ad6glqcebnjzateykoo7hebk/bafkreigcbtu4pqrfz4vk26lt322rqq6zq47kivbhjjtnkazv7abwy37ixi)
