Notes: "under the sun" or "in the sun"?

Salam

So, this week I went through a portal of confusion. I never really remembered that we could use "in the sun" when we're talking about sunbathing..

for example: The girls sunbathed under the sun.

(The sentence above is correct)

However, after a student showed me the use of "in the sun" is used in the Longman Dictionary and a student even mentioned the use of "in the sun" in the popular Westlife song "Seasons in the sun", I decided to do a little research.

I googled and I called my good friend Nani nee-chan (naniscribbles.blogspot.com).

We came to a conclusion that both can be used (under the sun and in the sun) but it depends on what the speaker is referring to.

For instance: The girls are sunbathing in the sun.

(Can mean that the girls are referring to the sunlight or sun's rays.)

And when the speaker says "The girls are sunbathing under the sun"

(Can mean that the girl is referring to the sun itself..You know, the ball of flame that we see everyday)

I hope my explanation is comprehensible.

Salam