Final answer:
At Solar Noon in New York State, the Sun will always be to the south of the observer. The Sun's position in the sky at solar noon is influenced by the Earth's west to east rotation and its inclined axis.
Step-by-step explanation:
At Solar Noon in New York State (NYS), the Sun will always be to the south of the observer's position. This occurs because the Earth rotates from west to east, and during solar noon, the Sun reaches its highest point in its journey across the sky, crossing the north-south direction. In the northern hemisphere, where New York is located, the Sun is usually positioned to the south of the observer around noon, except during certain times of the year close to the summer solstice when it can be slightly to the north due to the inclined axis of the Earth.
Understanding this helps us realize why the Sun's shadows point in certain directions at different times of the day. At sunrise, shadows point to the west; at solar noon, with the Sun to the south in New York, shadows point north; at sunset, shadows point east. This principal is applied in devices such as sundials which track the movement of the Sun to tell time.