Sunrise / Sunset Calculator
Compute sunrise, sunset and solar noon for any latitude / longitude / date.
Overview
The Sunrise / Sunset Calculator returns the times of sunrise, solar noon, and sunset for any latitude, longitude, and date. Type in a coordinate and a date and the tool returns three timestamps in the location's local time, along with the length of daylight in hours and minutes.
Useful for photographers planning golden-hour shots, mariners and aviators consulting nautical almanacs, farmers managing livestock routines, solar-panel operators forecasting daily generation, hikers planning trail timings, and travel app developers timestamping daylight overlays on maps.
How it works
The calculation uses the NOAA solar position algorithm — accurate to within about a minute for any date and any earthbound location. Sunrise and sunset are defined as the moments when the upper limb of the Sun crosses the horizon, allowing for a standard 34 arc-minutes of atmospheric refraction plus the Sun's apparent radius (16 arc-minutes), giving a combined center-of-disc altitude of −0.833° at the horizon crossing.
Solar noon is when the Sun is at its highest point of the day (crossing the local meridian) and is independent of season — it always sits exactly midway between sunrise and sunset. Because Earth's axis is tilted, the day length swings from near zero hours at the polar circles in winter to 24 hours in midsummer.
Examples
San Francisco (37.77°N, −122.42°W) on 2026-05-18
→ Sunrise 05:58, Solar noon 13:08, Sunset 20:18 — 14h 20m of daylight
Reykjavík (64.13°N, −21.94°W) on 2026-06-21 (solstice)
→ Sunrise 02:54, Sunset 00:03 next day — 21h 09m of daylight
Equator (0°N, 0°E) on 2026-03-20 (equinox)
→ Sunrise 06:00, Sunset 18:00 — 12h 00m year-round
Tromsø (69.65°N, 18.96°E) on 2026-12-21
→ Polar night: Sun never rises
FAQ
Why is sunrise not exactly when the Sun's center reaches the horizon?
By convention, sunrise is when the Sun's upper limb appears at the horizon. Atmospheric refraction lifts the apparent position by about 34 arc-minutes, and the Sun's radius adds another 16, so geometric sunrise happens with the center about 0.833° below the horizon.
How precise is the result?
Within about one minute at sea level. Mountain altitude and unusual atmospheric pressure shift the times by a few seconds per kilometre of elevation.
What is the polar night and midnight sun?
Above the Arctic and below the Antarctic Circle, the Sun stays continuously above (midnight sun) or below (polar night) the horizon for one or more days per year, depending on date and latitude.
Does it account for daylight saving?
The result is shown in the local civil time appropriate to the requested date, including DST if the location observes it. Enter the date you actually plan to observe.
Does atmospheric refraction vary with weather?
Slightly. The standard 34 arc-minute value used here assumes a temperature of 10°C and pressure of 1010 hPa. Extreme cold or low pressure can shift the apparent horizon by a few arc-minutes, moving the time by under a minute.