How fast would the boat need to go?
March 28, 2016 1:32 AM   Subscribe

If I'm looking over the Pacific while sitting in a boat, I can watch the sun disappear into the ocean. At some point the sun will be halfway below the horizon. Suppose I wanted to follow the sun west from CA to Japan, all the while keeping it exactly halfway set. How fast would the boat need to travel? Suppose there are no waves or wind on the ocean. Thanks!
posted by persona au gratin to Grab Bag (2 answers total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Hey, sorry, but this falls into the category of hypothetical "what if" chatfilter questions we ask folks to avoid -- taz

 
If you're on the equator*, you'd have to travel about a thousand miles an hour to keep the sun in the same position in the sky. That's more than three times the water speed record, so a boat isn't going to cut it.

*distance from the equator, and the direction (west, northwest, etc.), will change the exact figure.
posted by Paragon at 1:46 AM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


It depends on your latitude. You have to follow the sun around the Earth so you have to circle the Earth in 24 hours.

If following the sun at the equator is 1000 miles/hour, then following the sun at latitude L will be 1000 * COS(L)

So, at the latitude of Los Angeles (34 degrees) you still have to go 1000*0.82=820 miles/hr.
posted by vacapinta at 1:53 AM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


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