Solar & Daylight Data

Updated 2026-08-31

Sun Path: Letterkenny, Ireland

How to research sun path for a specific site in Letterkenny — the controlling authority, source documents, and checks to run before you rely on a number.

Last updated August 31, 2026 · Location data from the [GeoNames IE dump](https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/IE.zip) (CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-08-31, GeoNames ID 2962961). Regulatory starting point: [Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the local building-control authority](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/building-standards/). Figures are illustrative — verify against the current locally adopted edition for the site. Solar-method context: [NOAA Solar Calculation Details](https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/calcdetails.html); the Harth monthly table uses a simpler declination and geometric-daylight approximation whose stated limitations must be retained.

Direct answer

For Letterkenny at 54.9500, -7.7333, the declination-only solar-noon altitude is approximately 58.5° at the June solstice, 35.0° at an equinox and 11.6° at the December solstice. Refine these geometry checks with the project date, civil time, facade azimuth, terrain and local horizon. The reproducible location record is GeoNames ID 2962961 in administrative area U, at 54.9500, -7.7333; replace it with the surveyed parcel point before relying on the result. As a transparent geometry check, declination-only solar-noon altitude is about 58.5° at the June solstice, 35.0° at an equinox and 11.6° at the December solstice. Representative 21st-day geometry ranges from about 6.9 hours in December to 17.1 hours in June; this excludes atmospheric refraction, terrain and obstruction effects. The cited national authority is a discovery starting point; current local documents and a named qualified reviewer control project use of this sun path record.

Prepared by Harth · Prepared from the cited location and country sources; local project inputs remain unreviewed · Published 2026-08-26 · Updated 2026-08-31.

What must be verified for Letterkenny?

Letterkenny is represented here at approximately 54.9500, -7.7333 for discovery and workflow planning. A project address, parcel, elevation, exposure, authority, and submission date must replace that city-centre reference before design use.

How should sun path be established?

  1. Fix the surveyed site and local time basis.
  2. Select an authoritative weather source or a named solar-position algorithm.
  3. Record period, percentile or scenario and units.
  4. Test sensitivity to elevation, exposure, urban form and horizon.
  5. Save the source file, retrieval date and checker in the model record.
InputProject-specific evidenceQA question
Sitesurveyed coordinates, elevation and horizonDoes the point represent the building?
Weather/solar methodnamed dataset, algorithm, period and time basisAre station, time zone and units explicit?
Design scenariocurrent and future scenario agreed by the teamIs an average being mistaken for an extreme?
Complianceadopted local document and editionWas applicability confirmed with the authority?

What are the limits of this worksheet?

This sun-path-workflow page is a project-starting worksheet, not a design value or approval. The controlling authority and qualified professionals for the Letterkenny site remain authoritative.

This primary route consolidates the location evidence needed for Sun Path, Solar Altitude & Azimuth, Solar Shading Design, Daylight & Orientation. A narrower route should be released only when it adds a materially different official source, calculation, process, threshold or worked example.

Letterkenny monthly solar geometry check for sun path

Representative dateDeclinationSolar-noon altitudeGeometric daylight
21 January-20.14°14.9°7.8 h
21 February-11.23°23.8°9.8 h
21 March-0.40°34.6°11.9 h
21 April+11.58°46.6°14.3 h
21 May+20.14°55.2°16.2 h
21 June+23.45°58.5°17.1 h
21 July+20.44°55.5°16.3 h
21 August+11.75°46.8°14.3 h
21 September-0.20°34.8°12.0 h
21 October-11.75°23.3°9.7 h
21 November-20.44°14.6°7.7 h
21 December-23.45°11.6°6.9 h

Month-by-month geometry interpretation

  • 21 January: approximate solar-noon altitude 14.9° (zenith angle 75.1°) and 7.8 hours of geometric daylight. That is 0.9 hours longer than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 February: approximate solar-noon altitude 23.8° (zenith angle 66.2°) and 9.8 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.0 hours longer than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 March: approximate solar-noon altitude 34.6° (zenith angle 55.4°) and 11.9 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.1 hours longer than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 April: approximate solar-noon altitude 46.6° (zenith angle 43.4°) and 14.3 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.3 hours longer than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 May: approximate solar-noon altitude 55.2° (zenith angle 34.8°) and 16.2 hours of geometric daylight. That is 1.9 hours longer than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 June: approximate solar-noon altitude 58.5° (zenith angle 31.5°) and 17.1 hours of geometric daylight. That is 0.9 hours longer than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 July: approximate solar-noon altitude 55.5° (zenith angle 34.5°) and 16.3 hours of geometric daylight. That is 0.8 hours shorter than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 August: approximate solar-noon altitude 46.8° (zenith angle 43.2°) and 14.3 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.0 hours shorter than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 September: approximate solar-noon altitude 34.8° (zenith angle 55.2°) and 12.0 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.3 hours shorter than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 October: approximate solar-noon altitude 23.3° (zenith angle 66.7°) and 9.7 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.3 hours shorter than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 November: approximate solar-noon altitude 14.6° (zenith angle 75.4°) and 7.7 hours of geometric daylight. That is 2.0 hours shorter than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.
  • 21 December: approximate solar-noon altitude 11.6° (zenith angle 78.4°) and 6.9 hours of geometric daylight. That is 0.8 hours shorter than the preceding representative date in this annual sequence.

Harth calculation for latitude 54.9500°: Cooper declination approximation, 90° - |latitude - declination| at solar noon, and centre-to-centre sunrise hour angle. See NOAA's solar calculation details for fuller method context. This screening table excludes equation-of-time/civil-time conversion, atmospheric refraction, terrain, facade azimuth and obstructions; it is not an hourly shading result.

Sources and method

Location data from the GeoNames IE dump (CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-08-31, GeoNames ID 2962961). Regulatory starting point: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the local building-control authority. Figures are illustrative — verify against the current locally adopted edition for the site. Solar-method context: NOAA Solar Calculation Details; the Harth monthly table uses a simpler declination and geometric-daylight approximation whose stated limitations must be retained.

Frequently asked questions

What does the sun path record for Letterkenny establish?

The sun path record for Letterkenny establishes a reproducible discovery point at 54.9500, -7.7333 (GeoNames ID 2962961, administrative area U) and a Ireland source path. It does not establish a final project value, approval or parcel decision.

What must be replaced before using this sun path workflow for a project in Letterkenny?

For the sun path record in Letterkenny, replace the 54.9500, -7.7333 city reference with the surveyed site or parcel, identify the competent local authority, and verify the current documents under Building Regulations and Technical Guidance Documents. Record the edition, retrieval date, units, assumptions and named checker before relying on the result.

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