Winter
The Sun’s Track across the Sky at the Winter Solstice
![](https://johnlucey.webspace.durham.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/170/2021/05/winter.gif)
The animation shows the daily track of the Sun across the sky at the time of the winter solstice as seen from Durham. The Sun rises in the south-east, crosses the meridian at about noon and sets in the south-west. From Durham at the winter solstice, the Sun reaches a maximum altitude of only 11.5°, i.e. (90° − 55° − 23.5°). The track of the Sun across the sky is the same as the Dec = −23.5° line.