The Western sunrise is not only restricted to SR-71 and Concorde
flights, we mere subsonic mortals can see it too. On a recent U.S.A. to East Asia flying the great circle, we watched the sun set very very slowly in the West, at a time when the Great Circle Track was towards the North-West, and thus, rate of change of Longitude was less than the Earth's rotation. As the Track became more Westerly, at Max Lat of 64°44' North, the sun rose again in the West and steadily became higher, until our rate of change of Longitude again became slower as the Great Circle Track became South-Westerly. I'd figured that at our Max Lat, the Sun was moving West at 384 Knots, against our Ground Speed of 521 Knots.
I've seen the sun set in the East in a humble F27, and on a Northerly Track. As we climbed, our Altitude increase caused a 'premature' sunrise, and, as we descended again soon after on the short sector, it sank below the horizon again in the East.
The 'oddest' sunrise that I've seen was a mid summer flight from Seoul to Vancouver, Great Circle again, the evening / morning twilight slowly moved from Left to Right , until finally it rose in a direction of True North, at LMT midnight, directly over the North Pole, as we moved North-wards on the initial part of the Great Circle Track. It continued to rise and move from Left to Right, and was then in our eyes for most of the Easterly portion of the flight.
Sunrise in the West, Sunset in the East, Sunrise over the North Pole, Sunrise at mid-night? - who said that pilot's weren't gods?
Someone spoke of being geo-stationary. Ummm, did you mean solar stationary? To achieve a geo-stationary state, you'd better join NASA.
Now, can somebody explain why I only had 5Hr:17Min of Christmas this year?
Regards, and Happy New Year,
Old Smokey