About the Sunrise & Sunset Calculator
Find exact sunrise and sunset times for any location on Earth, on any date — plus the golden hour windows photographers chase, civil twilight (first and last light), solar noon, and total day length. Tap "Use my location" for one-click results, or enter any latitude and longitude. Everything is computed with the NOAA solar algorithm right in your browser, so it even works offline and your location never leaves your device.
Your location is used in the browser to compute the result and is not transmitted or logged anywhere.
How to use it
- Enter a location or use your coordinates.
- Pick the date.
- Read sunrise, sunset, day length and the twilight times.
Why photographers care about the twilight rows
Sunrise and sunset are the moments the sun's upper edge touches the horizon. The interesting light happens either side of that.
Civil twilight — the sun between 0° and 6° below the horizon — is the usable 'blue hour'. The golden hour, by contrast, is the period just after sunrise and just before sunset when the sun is low and the light is warm and directional.
A worked example
Day length changes fastest around the equinoxes, not the solstices. In mid-latitudes it can shift by three minutes a day in late March, while barely moving at all in late June.
Latitude drives everything. Near the equator, day length varies by under an hour across the whole year. Above the Arctic Circle it swings between permanent daylight and permanent night.
Common mistakes
- Confusing sunset with the end of usable light. Civil twilight usually adds 20–30 minutes in mid-latitudes.
- Forgetting daylight saving transitions, which move clock times by an hour overnight.
- Using a nearby city's times when you are at significantly different longitude or altitude.
Questions people ask
What is the golden hour?
The period shortly after sunrise and before sunset when the sun sits low, producing warm, soft, directional light. Its length depends on latitude and season.
Why do sunrise and sunset shift at different rates?
The equation of time — the combined effect of Earth's tilted axis and elliptical orbit — means solar noon drifts through the year, so the two do not move symmetrically.
Does altitude change the times?
Yes. From higher ground you see the sun earlier and lose it later, because the horizon is effectively lower.