World 1 · Day, Night & Shadows · 7 minThe Sun's path and the shadow clock
Shadows that tell the time
Teaching this? Open projector mode
Switch from a lamp you move by hand to the real Sun. For a date and a place the Sun follows a fixed arc across the sky: it climbs in the morning, is highest at solar noon, and sinks in the afternoon.
The shadow follows along, pointing away from the Sun and changing length. This is how a sundial tells the time.
Check yourself
At solar noon in London (51.5°N), which way does a shadow point?
Check yourself
When is the shadow shortest?
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