Now we’re talking. Not only is this the first shadow of the winter, the solstice having been three days and a couple of hours ago, but 24th December is a notable day in the analemma in London: one of only four days in which the Sun is directly due south. So this sharp shadow points true north today.
This is best seen on the diagram I’ve included in the Details section above, but let’s see it here too:
That lowest green dot marks the southern solstice, when the Sun is lowest in the winter sky in London. This plot has it on 22nd December, as it was in 2006 when the plot was made. Each red lozenge is marks the Sun’s altitude (that is, height above the horizon) and azimuth (east-west-ness) at midday GMT (or 1pm BST) on each day of the year. This is the pattern I’m mapping, projected on the City in reverse. The 24th December sees the Sun right on the 180 degree line.
The other three days the Sun is due south, counting along the 8-shaped track, are April 14th, June 12th and August 30th. I haven’t got any of those at the time of writing, so that’s something to aim for. Got to have a goal huh.
Shard Analemma 