Sunrise & Sunset Calculator
Look up sunrise, sunset, and daylight hours for any location and date.
Find exact sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and twilight times for any location and date.
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How Sunrise and Sunset Times Are Calculated
How Sunrise is Defined
Sunrise is the moment the upper limb of the sun first appears above the horizon. Sunset is the reverse — when the upper limb disappears. Refraction of sunlight by the atmosphere means the sun is actually just below the geometric horizon at these moments.
Types of Twilight
Civil twilight (sun 0°–6° below horizon): enough light for outdoor activity. Nautical twilight (6°–12°): horizon visible for navigation. Astronomical twilight (12°–18°): sky dark enough for most observations.
Solar Noon
Solar noon is when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day. It is not always at 12:00 PM clock time — it shifts due to your position within a time zone and the equation of time (up to ±16 minutes across the year). For exact local times in any city, the world clock uses the same IANA timezone data.
Polar Phenomena
Near the poles, the sun may never rise (polar night) or never set (midnight sun) depending on the season. This occurs because Earth's axial tilt means the sun can stay continuously above or below the horizon for days or months at a time. For planning activities across time zones, try the timezone converter.
Worked example
London (51.5°N) on the summer solstice, 21 June 2026: sunrise 04:43, sunset 21:21, day length 16 h 38 min. Winter solstice, 21 December 2026: sunrise 08:03, sunset 15:57, day length 7 h 54 min — a seasonal swing of over 8.5 hours of daylight. Solar noon on both days falls around 13:00 BST / 12:00 GMT.
Related calculations
Daylight hours shift when the clocks change — daylight saving time shows the transition dates for each country. To compare the time in two places at once, use the time zone converter or the world clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is sunrise time calculated?
Sunrise and sunset times are calculated from your latitude, longitude, and date using solar geometry formulas. The calculator finds the hour angle at which the sun's upper limb crosses the horizon, accounting for atmospheric refraction — which makes the sun appear to rise about 2 minutes earlier than purely geometric calculations would suggest.
What is civil twilight?
Civil twilight occurs when the sun is between 0° and 6° below the horizon — there is sufficient natural light for most outdoor activities. Nautical twilight (6°–12°) allows the horizon to be seen for navigation. Astronomical twilight (12°–18°) is when the sky is dark enough for most astronomical observations.
Why does solar noon not occur at 12:00 PM?
Solar noon is when the sun reaches its highest point. It rarely coincides with 12:00 PM clock time because your position within your time zone shifts solar noon by up to ±30 minutes, and the equation of time (Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt) causes an additional variation of up to ±16 minutes across the year.
Why does the sun never set near the poles in summer?
Earth's axial tilt (23.5°) means that above the Arctic Circle (66.5°N) in summer, the sun stays continuously above the horizon — the midnight sun. In winter the reverse occurs — polar night. The closer to the pole, the more extreme and prolonged these phenomena become.
Evidence & Methodology
How This Page Is Grounded
Method
Uses latitude, longitude and date in NOAA-style solar geometry equations, including the conventional correction for refraction at the horizon.
Important limitation: Atmospheric conditions and terrain affect observed times, with uncertainty increasing at high latitudes.
Primary Sources
- Solar calculation details NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
- Time Zone Database Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
Quality Checks
Representative cities, solstices, equinoxes and polar-day/night cases are checked.
See how sources are selected and corrections are handled in our Editorial & Calculation Methodology, and which automated checks this page has to pass in How We Test.