Sunrise and Sunset Calculator

We use the NOAA solar position equations. For the date we compute the sun's declination and the equation of time, then solve for the hour angle when the sun's center sits at -0.833 degrees, the standard altitude that accounts for atmospheric refraction and the sun's radius.

Sunrise depends only on your longitude and the date in universal time. To show the answer on your wall clock we shift it by your UTC offset. Enter your standard offset, or add an hour during daylight saving time.

They mark how far the sun is below the horizon: civil twilight ends at 6 degrees, nautical at 12 degrees and astronomical at 18 degrees. Civil twilight is bright enough to work outdoors; after astronomical twilight the sky is fully dark.

The golden hour is the warm, soft light when the sun is between 6 degrees above and 4 degrees below the horizon. The blue hour is the cooler light just after that, with the sun between 4 and 6 degrees below the horizon. Both are favourites for photography.

Near the poles the sun can stay above the horizon for a full day (the midnight sun) or never rise at all (polar night). When that happens there is no sunrise or sunset to report, so the tool flags the condition instead.

For locations where the sun actually rises and sets the times are normally within about a minute of published almanac values. Local terrain, elevation and unusual weather can shift the real horizon by a few minutes.