Does sunset/sunrise times only change because of longitude of the place, or is latitude also a factor?

Question

I mean, then sun rises maybe at 6 am in Boston. Chicago is at (almost) the same latitude, so the sun there is rising later (the sun needs 4 min. to move 1° longitude), according only to the longitude change (so if there is a difference of maybe 10° from Boston to Chicago, the sun would rise 40 min. later...).

But if we take Boston and Philadelphia (and let's imagine they are on the same longitude), the °-difference is 0, however, Boston is more to the North, so latitude is changing.... Does this then mean something when we consider the sunrise, or is the sun rising at the same times at these 2 places, because the longitude is the same?

Answer 1

no, because in alaska they have the midnight sun, and totally dark days in the winter (sun never rises) - which never happens in chicago.  so latitude must have some bearing.

Answer 2

Longitude per se is not a factor, it's the location of a point within a given time zone.  New york and Detroit are in the same time zone, but New York will see the sun rise and set first.  Latitude is what decides sunrise and sunset time variations day-to-day.  It's also why, as in your example, Boston has longer daylight hours than Philadelphia between March 21 and September 22, even though they're at roughly the same longitude.

Answer 3

At he same time of the year, it is the longitude that determines sunrise/sunset times.

BUT, the length of twilight is greater the further you are from the sun.  Places between the two Tropics have no twilight to speak of.

Twilight length increases as you move to the poles.

However, in the end, the Latitude determines the length of twilight AND the sunrise/sunset times.

The declination and revolution of the earth around the sun control the seaons and the sunrise/sunset times DURING THE WHOLE YEAR.

Answer 4

This relates to aircraft how?

Answer 5

If you talking about day length, longitude plays practically no role at all. It's all about the latitude. The closer to the poles, the longer the days get in the summer and the shorter the days get in the winter. At the equator, the variation is much smaller.

However, if you're talking about what time the sun rises, it depends on where the city is placed relative to the time zone split.

Answer 6

Here in NYC the sunrise can change from 4 AM to 7:30 AM depending on the season.

Back in Hawaii close to the equator (my old home), the Sun rises at 6 AM (plus or minus 30 minutes).  So both matters.

Good Luck...

Answer 7

At the Equator, the times of sunrise and sunset are purely a function of longitude, and the length of the day is always exactly 12 hours.  At the time of the equinoxes, the sun passes directly overhead; at the time of the solstices, it passes either 23.5° N at its zenith (in June) or 23.5° S (in December).  At solar noon, the sun is never more than 23.5° from directly overhead.

At the poles, the sun travels in a perfect circle in the sky.  In summertime, it moves in a circle above the horizon; in wintertime, it moves in a circle below the horizon (and so it appears to be nighttime).  The circle moves up and down with the seasons, and at the equinoxes it is even with the horizon, with the sun half-hidden; this provides the poles with a prolonged "sunrise" and "sunset," and "days" that last for about six months. The sun is never more than 23.5° above the horizon at any time.

In the tropics (between 23.5° S latitude and 23.5° N latitude), the sun will pass directly overhead at least once a year.  Slightly above the Arctic Circle and slightly below the Antarctic Circle, there will be at least one day a year without a sunset, and at least one day a year without a sunrise (the number of days like this increases towards the poles).

In general, at the Equator, days and nights are always exactly 12 hours long, and as you approach the poles (increasing latitude), the seasonal variation in the length of the day increases.  At the Equator on the equinoxes, the sun traces a straight line from east to west across the sky.  At higher latitudes, the path of the sun becomes more curved, until it becomes a perfect circle at the poles.  Depending on the season, this path will fall more or less behind the planet, leading to variations in the length of the day with the seasons.

Answer 8

It is due to the earth's orbit around the sun and the declination of the earth (the tilt of the earth's North/South axis) which gives rise to the change in seasons and subsequently sunrise and sunset times. The  higher latitudes both at the North and the South poles are subject to extended daylight and darkness because they are facing away from the sun for long periods during the earth's orbit. The sunrise/sunset timings  are also a consequence of the same but the effects are not as severe as at the Poles since they do not stay away from the sun for as long periods as the Poles..