Latitude of Kayalpatnam is 8^o34^" North and the Longitude of Kayalpatnam is 78^o7^" East. All data in this Website concerning Kayalpatnam is based on these geographic values.

Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east.

Due to atmospheric refraction, light from the sun is bent, or refracted, as it enters earth's atmosphere. This effect causes the Sunrise to appear to be happening well before it actually does. This is termed apparent Sunrise and it is always few moments before the actual Sunrise. Times shown in KayalSky.com are times of apparent Sunrise.

Similarly, apparent Sunset occurs slightly later than actual Sunset. Times shown in KayalSky.com are times of apparent Sunset.

The High and Low tide are caused by the gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon. The Moon attracts every piece of matter on earth. Since the waters on the Moon side are attracted more strongly, they bulge towards the Moon, causing a High Tide. The waters on the opposite side of the Moon, bulge away from the Moon - also causing a High Tide. Low tides occur at about right angles to the Moon.

When the Moon is in its first quarter or its last quarter, the Sun's gravitational pull is in perpendicular direction to that of the Moon. The Sun pulls water away from the areas of High Tide to the areas of Low Tides, resulting in lower High Tides and higher Low Tides. These are called Neap Tides.

When the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth (at New Moon), the Sun's gravitational pull is in the same direction as the Moon's. During these days, the High Tides are higher and the Low Tides are lower than they would be with just the Moon's pull alone. This is called Spring Tide.

The same thing happens when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Sun (Full Moon). The two gravitational forces work together to make high High Tides and low Low Tides.

The Moon does not stay put, but rotates around the earth at a rate of about 12^o a day, or one rotation a month. The rotation is in the same direction as the earth's spin, so by the time the earth has done one rotation, the moon has shifted 12^o further, and it takes an extra 50 minutes for the Moon to be in the same position relative to a point on the Earth. Therefore, the tidal cycle is not 24 hours long, but 24 hours and 50 minutes. Because of this, High and Low tides are about 50 minutes later every day.

Qibla direction from Kayalpatnam is at 66^o 22^" West of North, i.e. 293^o 38^" - taken clockwise.

Every day, as the Sun rises from the East and moves through the Sky before setting in the West, there comes a time - when the shadow cast by it - is towards the Qibla direction (in Kayalpatnam's case, towards 66^o 22^" West of North). This is Qibla time. This changes everyday and is different every location in the world.

However, there are four times in a year (two for one half of the globe, two for the other half), when the shadow cast by the Sun is exactly towards the Qibla direction. That time is common for all locations in the world.

On May 28th every year, it is at 9:18 UT (2:48 p.m. IST). On July 16th, it is at 9:27 UT (2:57 p.m. IST).

On November 28th, it is at 21:09 UT (In India, November 29th, 2:39 a.m.; Sun would not have risen) and on January 13th, it is at 21:29 UT (In India, January 14th, 2:59 a.m.; Sun would not have risen).

There is more to our sky than just the Sun, the Moon, the Planets, the Stars, the Comets etc. From Kayalpatnam, in fact from all locations on Earth, several man-made satellites are also visible to naked eye. KayalSky.com lists visibility data for two prominent man-made objects orbiting the Earth namely International Space Station and the Hubble Telescope. Visibility information for other satellites can be obtained from websites such as www.heavens-above.com.

One must remember both these objects are about 400 kms above Earth and are moving at a speed of about 25,000 kms per hour (completing a revolution around Earth once every 90 minutes approximately). Hence they will not be visible on all days from a particular location. They will be visible at different hours of the day (unsightable at day time) and for very few minutes.

First column gives the date of visibility, second column gives the magnitude of the Satellite at the time of visibility, third column gives the beginning time for visibility (approach), fourth column gives the altitude in the direction given in fifth column, sixth column gives the time at which the Satellite reaches its maximum visibility at the altitude and direction given in columns in seventh and eighth respectively. Nineth columns gives the time at which Satellite will disappear from view (departure). Tenth and Eleventh columns give the last visible location (altitude and direction).

As comets orbit the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty debris stream along their orbit. If Earth travels through this stream, we will see a meteor showers. Depending on where Earth and the stream meet, meteors would appear to fall from a particular place in the sky.

Shooting stars and falling stars are both names that people have used for many hundreds of years to describe meteor showers.

Meteor showers are named by the constellation from which meteors appear to fall, a spot in the sky astronomers call the radiant. For instance, the radiant for the Leonid meteor shower is located in the constellation Leo. The Perseid meteor shower is so named because meteors appear to fall from a point in the constellation Perseus.

You can use Sky Charts to find the location of a Constellation from your location. The ideal time to view is a few hours after sunset and few hours before sunrise.