Solar azimuth angle be interpreted as the angle between zero and 180 degrees when the hour angle, "h", is negative (morning) and the angle between 180 and 360 degrees when the hour angle, "h", is positive (afternoon). (These two formulas are equivalent if you assume the "solar elevation angle" approximation formula). The formulas use the following terminology: Solar azimuth angle The solar azimuth angle is the azimuth angle of the Sun's position. This horizontal coordinate defines the Sun's relative direction along the local horizon, whereas the solar zenith angle (or its complementary angle solar elevation) defines the Sun's apparent altitude. There are several
Hour angle The angle may be measured in degrees or in time, with 24 = 360° exactly. In astronomy, hour angle is defined as the angular distance on the celestial sphere measured westward along the celestial equator from the meridian to the hour circle passing through a point. It may be given in degrees, time, or rotations depending on the application. In celestial navigation, the convention is to measure in degrees westward from the prime meridian (Greenwich hour angle, GHA), from the local meridian (local hour angle, LHA) or from the first point of Aries (sidereal hour angle, SHA). The hour angle