Our sun dictates our days, but the sun does not determine our time. This may sound counter-intuitive, but the truth is the time we see on our clocks is a standardized estimation. Because of the vagaries of Earth's orbit around the sun, the actual time of the day based on the position of the sun in the sky varies throughout the year. A complex mathematical formula called the "Equation of Time" calculates the variation between sun time and standard time, but this calculation requires knowing many factors, such as the Earth's orbital position and eccentricity among other factors. You can also use an online calculator to crunch the numbers for you.
Instructions
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1
Open the NOAA Solar Position Calculator website in your Web browser.
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Input your location either by entering the coordinates or by selecting the nearest city to you from the drop-down menu.
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Enter the date and time you want to calculate. The current date and time comes up by default.
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Click the "Calculate Solar Position" button. The sun time variation will appear under "Equation of Time" as a number of minutes. For example, "-1.99" means sun time is 1.99 minutes behind standard time.