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Sunrise & Sunset Calculator

When does the sun rise and set where you are — or anywhere on Earth, on any date? Pick a place and a day. The companion Star Transit Calculator does the same for the stars.

Or use exact coordinates
Lat Lon UTC offset

Latitude north / longitude east are positive. With custom coordinates, times use your chosen UTC offset.

How it works

Everything here is geometry. From the date, the calculator works out the sun's declination — how far north or south of the equator it stands — and the equation of time, using the standard NOAA solar-position algorithm. Sunrise is the moment the sun's upper edge crosses the horizon, which with atmospheric refraction means a zenith angle of 90.833°; solving that angle against your latitude gives the hour, and the same calculation with other angles yields dawn and dusk (sun 6° down) and the golden hours (sun below 6° up).

Worked example: New York on October 20, 2026 — dawn 6:45 AM, sunrise 7:13 AM, solar noon 12:41 PM with the sun 38.8° high, sunset 6:09 PM, dusk 6:37 PM, and a day length of 10h 56m — within a minute or two of the published almanac values. Set the place and date above to those values and compare — this page computes the same numbers live.

Frequently asked questions

Why do these times differ by a minute or two from some other sites?

Algorithms agree to within a minute or two; small differences come from the exact spot chosen for a city and rounding. All times assume a flat, unobstructed horizon — a hill to your east delays the sunrise you actually see.

What is golden hour?

The soft, warm light just after sunrise and just before sunset, while the sun is between the horizon and 6° above it. Photographers plan around it; this page shows both windows for any place and date.

What is solar noon?

The moment the sun crosses your meridian — its highest point of the day. It is rarely 12:00 on the clock: longitude within your time zone and the equation of time move it earlier or later.

Does it work for the far north and south?

Yes — including the honest answer: near the poles there are dates when the sun never rises or never sets, and the page says so instead of inventing times.

Related calculators

Star Transit