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
Angle or "terminal side" is defined by the measure from the initial side in radians, degrees, or turns. With "positive angles" representing rotations toward the positive y-axis and "negative angles" representing rotations toward the negative "y"-axis. When Cartesian coordinates are represented by "standard position", defined by the "x"-axis rightward and the "y"-axis upward, positive rotations are anticlockwise and negative rotations are clockwise. In many contexts, an angle of −"θ" is effectively equivalent to an angle of "one full turn minus "θ"". For example, an orientation represented as −45° is effectively equivalent to an orientation represented as 360° − 45° or 315°.