Here is some information I found to be useful, Jimmie O as a "tool" to make comparison with.
http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/redbook/atlas/Another good "tool" I have found to be useful is my Bogart TriMetric 2020 monitor.
http://www.bogartengineering.com/Other good tools are, angle finder, 12"x2"x4" cut square on on least one end, a good flat board roughly 3'x3/4"x6" and, a magnetic compass, which of course you'll want to know the degree of declination from solar south. It helps as well to secure the angle finder to one end of the broadside of the flat board.
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodels/struts/declZipEBeing knowledgable of our Sun helps as well. Knowing which days are the shortest (winter solstice) and the longest (summer solstice) and which days have an equal number of hours with the night (vernal and autumnal equinox.)
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061223.htmlJust for fun;
The analemma of Mars.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061230.htmlSaturns north pole.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081119.htmlHave any of you every thought about what its like to be on a boat, on the open water, looking out ahead of you in the direction of travel, seeing nothing but open waters? Its tempting to let the boat go on its own feeling safe that it will not hit anything like a log floating just below the surface or, as unbelievable as it sounds, an iceberg.
Our entire solar system is like that boat and there is nobody at the helm, there is no helm. We are traveling through space without a clue as to what is out in front of us. People on Earth thousands of years ago new of this simple fact and they set to watching the stars trying to gain knowledge of what was to come.
We still do this today only, most likely, we will pick up a newspaper and turn to, our horoscope.
http://www.crystallotus.com/TheTransition/007.htm
