Sunward

Sunward is a directional term used to denote the direction toward the Sun. It is employed in astronomy, navigation, meteorology, and everyday language to distinguish the sunlit side of an object from the shaded side; the opposite direction is antisolar.

In spacecraft operations and terrestrial engineering, sunward orientation refers to the side facing the Sun. Photovoltaic arrays and other solar-energy equipment are typically mounted sunward to maximize solar exposure, while other components may be oriented differently depending on heat and power requirements.

In planetary science and observations, the sunward side of a body is the hemisphere that directly receives sunlight, influencing phenomena such as surface temperature, albedo, and outgassing on comets and asteroids.

Etymology: the word sunward is formed from sun and ward, meaning toward. The term has been in English for centuries to describe directions in space and on Earth.

As a proper noun, Sunward is used as a brand name by several companies and products. Notably, Sunward Equipment Co., Ltd. is a Chinese manufacturer of construction machinery, including excavators and loaders, and the name appears in other unrelated brands as well.