I have been working on enhancements to the SunPos() macro to calculate the
time of SunRise and SunSet for a location on earth.  For those who haven't
used it, SunPos() defines a position for the sun based on the day of the
year, time, and location. I have used this macro to animate the sunshine on
my house, and realized that there's no point in animating any frames prior
to sunrise or after sunset, at least in my application. This time period
varies depending upon the day of the year, so I wanted an automated method
to limit the time window.

I have implemented another macro SunRiSet() which can be used in conjunction
with SunPos(), or not, for that matter, and can be used to define the start
and finish times of the animation on any calendar day.  It also allows you
to schedule the sun due South, which will be noonish in your local time
zone, but varies a bit depending upon where you are across your local zone.

I'll make this include file available to whomever wants it, along with an
enhanced SunPos() and sample code.

The following image is based on a satellite orbiting the earth directly
between the sun and the earth so it casts a shadow in line with the sun.  In
using a reflective sphere, I noticed this eerie "eye" effect, which I post
here for your comments.


direct email is pennyhedron at shaw dot ca

Stephen

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