Seasons and sky
Subsolar Point
Direct answer
Subsolar Point: The Subsolar Point is the place on Earth where the Sun is directly overhead at a given instant.
The Subsolar Point is the location receiving vertical noon sunlight.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related
- December Solstice, Solar Declination, Astronomical Season, Equinox
The Subsolar Point is the location receiving vertical noon sunlight.
A Sun-Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.
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The story behind Subsolar Point
Geographers and navigators linked overhead-Sun observations with latitude long before global numerical maps were available.
Why Subsolar Point matters
Subsolar Point’s latitude follows solar declination and its longitude follows time, mapping the center of the daylight hemisphere.
How to read Subsolar Point
Subsolar Point speaks to solar geometry, satellite imagery, seasons, shadows, and the moving day-night pattern.
Subsolar Point in practice: an example
At an equinox the Subsolar Point lies on the equator and moves westward around Earth through the day.
Where readings of Subsolar Point go wrong
The usual misreading is to assume the Sun can be overhead outside the tropics.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- NASA Science: Seeing Equinoxes and Solstices from Space - NASA explanation of axial tilt, the terminator, seasonal illumination, equinoxes, and solstices.
- NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory: Solar Calculator Glossary - NOAA definitions for solar geometry, atmospheric refraction, and civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Find where the Sun is overhead
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More in Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Tide
- Axial Tilt
- Climatological Normal
- Earth Shadow
- Green Flash
- Midnight Sun
- Obliquity of the Ecliptic
- Semidiurnal Tide
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Common questions
What is the Subsolar Point?
The Subsolar Point is the place on Earth where the Sun is directly overhead at a given instant.
What do people get wrong about the Subsolar Point?
The usual misreading is to assume the Sun can be overhead outside the tropics.
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