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

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TEDEd Animation

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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.

WatchThink Dig Deeper Discuss
If you photographed the Sun at the same place and the same time for a year, its path would appear to trace a _______________ in the sky.

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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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