Editing Solar zenith angle (section)

{{Short description|Angle between the zenith and the centre of the Sun's disc}}

The '''solar zenith angle''' is the [[zenith angle]] of the [[sun]], i.e., the angle between the sun’s rays and the [[vertical direction]]. It is the [[complement angle|complement]] to the '''solar altitude''' or '''solar elevation''', which is the [[altitude angle]] or [[elevation angle]] between the sun’s rays and a [[horizontal plane]].<ref>{{cite book | page = [https://archive.org/details/fundamentalsatmo00jaco/page/n332 317] | title = Fundamentals of Atmospheric Modeling | url = https://archive.org/details/fundamentalsatmo00jaco | url-access = limited | first = Mark Z. | last = Jacobson | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] | date = 2005 | isbn = 0521548659 | edition = 2nd}}</ref><ref name="hartmann">{{cite book | title = Global Physical Climatology | url = https://archive.org/details/globalphysicalcl00hart | url-access = limited | first = Dennis L. | last = Hartmann | publisher = [[Academic Press]] | page = [https://archive.org/details/globalphysicalcl00hart/page/n41 30] | date = 1994 | isbn = 0080571638}}</ref> At [[solar noon]], the altitude angle (complement of the solar angle) is at a minimum and is equal to latitude minus [[solar declination]] angle. This is the basis by which ancient mariners navigated the oceans.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bonan |first1=Gordon |title=Ecological climatology: concepts and applications |date=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781316425190 |page=62 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/ecological-climatology/D146443B007985BC366B2512345692C0 |accessdate=13 November 2019}}</ref>{{TOC right}} Solar zenith angle is normally used in combination with the [[solar azimuth angle]] to determine the [[position of the Sun]] as observed from a given location on the surface of the Earth.