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The Sun’s surprising movement across the sky - Gordon Williamson

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TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Suppose you placed a camera at a fixed position, took a picture of the sky at the same time every day for an entire year, and overlaid all of the photos on top of each other. What would the sun look like in that combined image? A stationary dot? A circular path? Neither. Oddly enough, it makes a ‘figure 8’ pattern, known as the Sun’s analemma. Gordon Williamson explains why.

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During the year a clock usually reads differently than the time compared to a sundial. Sometimes the Sun is ahead of the clock and at times it is behind. What is responsible for this difference?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Gordon Williamson
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Editor Franz Palomares
  • Animation Artist Josephine Mark
  • Composer Carlos Palomares
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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