Position of the sun given time of day, latitude and longitude

Question

This question has been asked before a little over three years ago. There was an answer given, however I\'ve found a glitch in the solution.

Code below is in R. I\'ve

Answer 1

I needed sun position in a Python project. I adapted Josh O'Brien's algorithm.

Thank you Josh.

In case it could be useful to anyone, here's my adaptation.

Note that my project only needed instant sun position so time is not a parameter.

def sunPosition(lat=46.5, long=6.5):

    # Latitude [rad]
    lat_rad = math.radians(lat)

    # Get Julian date - 2400000
    day = time.gmtime().tm_yday
    hour = time.gmtime().tm_hour + \
           time.gmtime().tm_min/60.0 + \
           time.gmtime().tm_sec/3600.0
    delta = time.gmtime().tm_year - 1949
    leap = delta / 4
    jd = 32916.5 + delta * 365 + leap + day + hour / 24

    # The input to the Atronomer's almanach is the difference between
    # the Julian date and JD 2451545.0 (noon, 1 January 2000)
    t = jd - 51545

    # Ecliptic coordinates

    # Mean longitude
    mnlong_deg = (280.460 + .9856474 * t) % 360

    # Mean anomaly
    mnanom_rad = math.radians((357.528 + .9856003 * t) % 360)

    # Ecliptic longitude and obliquity of ecliptic
    eclong = math.radians((mnlong_deg + 
                           1.915 * math.sin(mnanom_rad) + 
                           0.020 * math.sin(2 * mnanom_rad)
                          ) % 360)
    oblqec_rad = math.radians(23.439 - 0.0000004 * t)

    # Celestial coordinates
    # Right ascension and declination
    num = math.cos(oblqec_rad) * math.sin(eclong)
    den = math.cos(eclong)
    ra_rad = math.atan(num / den)
    if den < 0:
        ra_rad = ra_rad + math.pi
    elif num < 0:
        ra_rad = ra_rad + 2 * math.pi
    dec_rad = math.asin(math.sin(oblqec_rad) * math.sin(eclong))

    # Local coordinates
    # Greenwich mean sidereal time
    gmst = (6.697375 + .0657098242 * t + hour) % 24
    # Local mean sidereal time
    lmst = (gmst + long / 15) % 24
    lmst_rad = math.radians(15 * lmst)

    # Hour angle (rad)
    ha_rad = (lmst_rad - ra_rad) % (2 * math.pi)

    # Elevation
    el_rad = math.asin(
        math.sin(dec_rad) * math.sin(lat_rad) + \
        math.cos(dec_rad) * math.cos(lat_rad) * math.cos(ha_rad))

    # Azimuth
    az_rad = math.asin(
        - math.cos(dec_rad) * math.sin(ha_rad) / math.cos(el_rad))

    if (math.sin(dec_rad) - math.sin(el_rad) * math.sin(lat_rad) < 0):
        az_rad = math.pi - az_rad
    elif (math.sin(az_rad) < 0):
        az_rad += 2 * math.pi

    return el_rad, az_rad