The sun, the moon, the stars and the planets all create wonderfully impressive photo opportunities. The heavens are always spectacular almost by definition. SHAMOS has a special capability to tell a photographer when the sun will be occupying a precise location in the sky. However SHAMOS is no better than the data put into it. So that an alignment to a location in the sky must be measured with a fairly accurate instrument.
For instance how would a person go about knowing when the sun will be rising right on top of the Washington Monument as seen from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The sun will be very nearly due east from there and if the Washington Monument rises about one degree into the sky then enter into SHAMOS Azimuth: 90 degrees and the Angle of Elevation: 1 degree followed by the year. Since this event has already passed for this year we will enter 2005. So SHAMOS tells us that the sun will be there on March 21, 2005 at 5:53 a.m. EST and on September 21, 2005 a.m. EDT. If the angle of elevation differs from my estimate or the grid north differs greatly from true north, then these dates and times will change. When the position is measured correctly SHAMOS will give the precise time when the sun will be in that location within a few seconds of clock time.
Photographic opportunities involving the sun and moon are limited only by the photographer's imagination. For instance after, a very protracted and difficult session at the state capital a headline might read,