Times for your location
Next four weeks
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Change |
|---|
The year at your latitude
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Noon altitude |
|---|
Why the times behave the way they do
Sunrise is defined by the upper limb, not the centre
The sun is half a degree wide and the atmosphere lifts its image by roughly another half degree near the horizon. Convention therefore places sunrise and sunset at a geometric altitude of −0.833°, which is when the upper edge appears to touch a flat sea horizon. That is a few minutes earlier than the moment the centre of the disc crosses, and it is the definition used by almanacs and by this site.
Solar noon is not clock noon
Time zones are political, so your clock can be over an hour away from local solar time. On top of that the equation of time shifts true solar noon by up to about 16 minutes over the year, because the Earth's orbit is elliptical and its axis is tilted. That combination is what makes the earliest sunset fall in early December rather than on the solstice.
Latitude sets the swing
At the equator the day is close to twelve hours all year and the sun rises within 23° of due east. At 50° latitude the day runs from about 8 to 16 hours and the sunrise bearing swings across 80° of horizon. Above the polar circles the sun stops rising and setting altogether for part of the year — the tool reports midnight sun and polar night explicitly.
Your horizon is not flat
Every published sunrise time assumes a sea-level horizon. A mountain to the east can delay visible sunrise by an hour, and standing on a hill brings it forward. If that matters, model the obstacle on the sun position map, which compares the sun's altitude with the elevation your obstacle blocks.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What time is sunrise and sunset today?
Enter your coordinates above, or open the map and drop a pin. Sunrise is defined as the moment the upper edge of the solar disc touches a flat horizon, which corresponds to a geometric altitude of -0.833 degrees once refraction and the disc radius are taken into account.
Why is the earliest sunset not on the shortest day?
Solar noon itself drifts through the year because of the equation of time, moving by up to about 16 minutes. In the northern hemisphere it drifts later through December, so the earliest sunset happens roughly two weeks before the solstice and the latest sunrise about two weeks after it, even though the shortest day is the solstice itself.
Where does the sun rise exactly?
Due east only at the equinoxes. In the northern hemisphere summer it rises north of east and sets north of west, and in winter south of east and south of west. The swing grows with latitude: about 40 degrees each way at 50 degrees latitude, and the full horizon at the polar circles.
How much does day length change each day?
Near the equinoxes the change is fastest, up to about four minutes a day at 50 degrees latitude, and it slows to almost nothing at the solstices. The calculator shows the change against the previous day for your exact location.
What are civil, nautical and astronomical twilight?
They are the periods after sunset while the sun is 0 to 6, 6 to 12 and 12 to 18 degrees below the horizon. Civil twilight is bright enough to work outdoors, nautical twilight still shows the sea horizon, and full darkness begins after astronomical twilight ends.