Back to Glossary

Solargraph

A solargraph is a long-exposure photograph that captures the Sun's path across the sky over extended periods, often weeks or months. Utilizing a simple pinhole camera, such as one made from an aluminum can lined with photographic paper, solargraphs record continuous solar trails, revealing the Sun's movement and seasonal changes.

Source: apod.nasa.gov

APODs including "Solargraph"

Solargraphy Analemmas

20/03/2014

Solargraphy Analemmas
Image Credit: Maciej Zapiór and Łukasz Fajfrowski / NASA APOD

Today is the equinox. The Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north at 16:57 UT, marking the northern hemisphere's first day of spring. To celebrate, consider this remarkable image following the Sun's yearly trek through planet Earth's sky, the first analemmas exposed every day through the technique of solargraphy. In fact, three analemma curves were captured using a cylindrical pinhole camera by daily making three, separate, one minute long exposures for a year, from March 1, 2013 to March 1, 2014, on a single piece of black and white photographic paper. The well-planned daily exposures began at 10:30, 12:00, and 13:30, CET from a balcony looking south from the Kozanów district in Wrocław, Poland. That year's two equinoxes on March 20 and September 22 correspond to the mid-points, not the cross-over points, along the figure-8 shaped curves. Apparent gaps in the curves are due to cloudy days. Two solid lines at the lower left were both caused by a timer switch failure that left the pinhole shutter open.