On my Garmin Vista GPS unit, it give exact sunrise and sunset information. I usually just look in the newspaper to get sunrise/sunset times, so I never really bother with it.
As for exact direction, that's a bit more problematic. Roughly speaking, the sun rises in the East, and sets in the West. If you're North of the Equator, then sunrise/sunset is going to veer to the South during the winter, and be in a more East/West direction during the summer.
If you're familiar with the area you're in, keep a track of where the sun set and rises. It'll do it in the same place every year. That's how the druids kept track of their holy days. When rising or setting sun shone through two alligned doors on the temple, it was a given day.
On my Garmin Vista GPS unit, it give exact sunrise and sunset information.
As for exact direction, that's a bit more problematic.
Some handheld GPS units will have a location 'compass point' in addition to the times of sunset and sunrise. I'm not really up to date on all of the new models, so the best bet is to check the specs.
Another more primitive, but accurate method is to use: Sun or Moon Altitude/Azimuth Table All you need is a regular compass to determine the direction in the field.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I use a Garmin 76CS which I have had for awhile now. It has a feature called Sun and Moon, on that page it shows Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset and a graphic showing the place of each on the horizon relative to the current position. It also has the ability to change the time of the info so you can look forward to differing times. The manual states "Sun and Moon: Sun and moon rise and set times, sun and moon position, and moon phase for any day of the year, anywhere in the world"
Hope this helps
Rick
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I use a Garmin eTrex GPS unit. It will give you sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonrise, as well as the phase of the moon. Since it's a GPS, it will do it exactly for the location you're at. The eTrex is about $150.00 more than the other handheld GPS units in the Garmin line, but it has a built in compass and altimeter. Being in the mountains, I use the altimeter all the time, but for most people, it's probably not a lot of use.
The sun rises in the east, and sets in the west, so the compass comes in really handy for that. The sun will skew to the north during the winter months. Depending on how far north you live, this may or may not be pronounced.
One thing to keep in mind about GPS units is that they need a good view of the sky to work. Their effectiveness falls off quickly if you're in a forest, downtown area with lots of tall buildings, or inside a house or car.
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