Sunrise Sunset Calculator
Select a Location and Date
Choose a city from the dropdown (or enter custom coordinates) and pick a date to see precise sunrise, sunset, twilight, and golden hour times.
How to Use This Calculator
Choose Your Location
Select a city from the dropdown to auto-fill latitude, longitude, and UTC offset. For a location not in the list, select 'Custom' and enter your decimal latitude (e.g. 40.7128) and longitude (e.g. -74.0060), then pick the correct UTC offset from the dropdown.
Set the Date
Use the calendar picker to choose any date — past, present, or future. You can also use the quick-preset buttons for Today, Tomorrow, Summer Solstice (longest day), or Winter Solstice (shortest day) to instantly jump to those key dates.
Review Solar Times and Timeline
Sunrise and sunset times appear with compass bearings (azimuth). Day length, solar noon, and the change versus yesterday are shown below. Scroll down for all twilight phases (civil, nautical, astronomical), the visual 24-hour color-coded timeline, and the compass rose showing where the sun rises and sets.
Use Photography Windows and Export
Check the Photography Windows card for morning and evening golden hour and blue hour start and end times. For annual planning, click 'Export Full Year CSV' to download a spreadsheet of sunrise and sunset times for every day of the selected year at your location.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are the sunrise and sunset times?
The calculator uses the Jean Meeus algorithm (also used by NOAA and the US Naval Observatory) and is accurate to within one to two minutes for latitudes between 0° and 60° for dates within a few centuries of the present. At higher latitudes (above 60°) accuracy decreases because the sun's path angle becomes very shallow. Atmospheric refraction on the day — affected by temperature, pressure, and humidity — can also shift the actual observed time by one to five minutes compared to the calculated result. Local terrain such as mountains or tall buildings can further alter the observed horizon, causing additional differences.
What is civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight?
Twilight is divided into three phases based on how far the sun is below the horizon. Civil twilight begins when the sun is less than 6° below the horizon — there is enough natural light for most outdoor activities without artificial lighting. Nautical twilight spans from 6° to 12° below the horizon — the horizon is still visible at sea and bright stars are visible for navigation. Astronomical twilight spans from 12° to 18° below the horizon — the sky is not fully dark but conditions are good enough for many astronomical observations. Once the sun is more than 18° below the horizon, the sky reaches its darkest level and true night begins.
What is golden hour and why do photographers love it?
Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset when the sun is within approximately 6° of the horizon. At this low angle, sunlight travels through a much thicker layer of atmosphere than at midday, scattering blue wavelengths and leaving warm amber and orange tones. This creates soft, directional light with long, gentle shadows that flatters portraits and gives landscapes dramatic depth. The color temperature during golden hour ranges from roughly 2,000 to 3,500 Kelvin — far warmer than the neutral 5,500–6,500K of midday sunlight. The exact duration varies by season and latitude, from under 20 minutes near the equinox at low latitudes to over an hour near the solstices at high latitudes.
What is blue hour and when does it occur?
Blue hour is the period of twilight when the sun is approximately 4° to 6° below the horizon — within the civil twilight zone. At this point the sky takes on a deep, even blue tone because the sun's light is scattered across the entire upper atmosphere and filtered of its warm wavelengths. Unlike golden hour, which only occurs above the horizon, blue hour occurs just before sunrise and just after sunset. It is prized by cityscape and street photographers because artificial lights are visible and balanced against the natural sky luminance, and the light is evenly diffused with no harsh shadows. Blue hour typically lasts 20 to 40 minutes depending on latitude and time of year.
Why does solar noon not occur at exactly 12:00 PM local time?
Solar noon is when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky (transiting the local meridian) — but this rarely coincides with 12:00 PM on the clock. Two factors shift solar noon. First, time zones cover wide geographic areas, so locations at the western edge of a time zone have a later solar noon than those at the eastern edge. Second, the 'equation of time' — a correction that accounts for Earth's elliptical orbit and its axial tilt — causes the sun to run 'fast' or 'slow' relative to a uniform clock, shifting solar noon by up to 16 minutes throughout the year. The combination of longitude offset and equation of time means solar noon can occur anywhere from roughly 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM local time depending on location and season.
What happens at extreme latitudes — midnight sun and polar night?
At latitudes above the Arctic Circle (66.5°N) or below the Antarctic Circle (66.5°S), the sun can remain above the horizon for 24 hours during summer — the phenomenon known as the midnight sun. Conversely, during winter at these latitudes, the sun does not rise at all, creating polar night. The calculator detects these conditions automatically. If the sun never sets on the selected date, it shows 'Midnight Sun' and reports 24h 0m 0s of daylight. If the sun never rises, it shows 'Polar Night' with 0h 0m 0s. These edge cases become more extreme closer to the poles — at the North and South Poles themselves, the sun is up for roughly six months and down for six months.