Sun Calculator
Find sunrise, sunset and daylight hours for any location and date
🌐 UTC,
Thursday, 9 July 2026
0 minutes of daylight
How it works
Sunrise and sunset are not fixed clock times — they depend on where you are on Earth, the date, and how the planet is tilted on its axis. This calculator uses a standard solar-position algorithm (the same family of formulas used by NOAA and other astronomical references) with each city's latitude and longitude from our 250-city database. For any chosen date it works out when the Sun crosses the horizon, when it reaches its highest point (solar noon), and how many hours of daylight you get — all in local time for that city.
Daylight length changes through the year because Earth's axis is tilted about 23.5° relative to its orbit. Near the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere leans toward the Sun, so days are longest; near the winter solstice they are shortest. The effect is strongest at high latitudes — Edinburgh sees dramatic swings between long June days and short December ones, while cities near the equator have roughly equal day and night year-round. Your distance from the equator (latitude) sets the range; the time of year sets where you are within that range.
Twilight is the period when the Sun is below the horizon but the sky is still partly lit. Civil twilight (used for dawn and dusk here) ends when the Sun is 6° below the horizon — roughly when outdoor activities are still possible without artificial light. Nautical twilight (12° below) is when the horizon at sea is still visible; astronomical twilight (18° below) is when the faintest stars begin to appear. Dawn is civil twilight before sunrise; dusk is civil twilight after sunset.
Frequently asked questions
What time is sunrise today?
Select your city and leave the date on today (or tap the “Today” quick link). The sunrise time appears in the results panel, shown in local time for that city. Times update automatically for the current date and shift slightly each day as Earth moves along its orbit.
Why do sunrise and sunset times change throughout the year?
Earth's 23.5° axial tilt means different parts of the planet receive more or less sunlight as we orbit the Sun. In summer (around the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere), days grow longer; in winter they shrink. The change is gradual through spring and autumn and fastest around the equinoxes, when day and night are nearly equal.
What is solar noon?
Solar noon is the moment when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky for that day. It is not always exactly 12:00 on your clock — clock noon is a time-zone convention, while solar noon depends on your longitude and the equation of time (Earth's slightly elliptical orbit). It usually falls within an hour or so of midday local time.
What is civil twilight?
Civil twilight occurs when the Sun is between 0° and 6° below the horizon. There is enough natural light to see clearly outside, but street lights may switch on. Dawn (civil) begins at the end of night; dusk (civil) ends when the sky is dark enough for most stars to be visible. This calculator shows civil dawn and dusk times.
Which place has the most daylight hours?
On the summer solstice, high-latitude cities in the Northern Hemisphere — such as Reykjavik, Helsinki, or Anchorage — have the longest days, sometimes with nearly 24 hours of light (midnight sun above the Arctic Circle). Near the equator, daylight stays close to 12 hours all year. Use the quick links to compare solstice dates for different cities.
How are sunrise and sunset times calculated?
Clockr uses a standard solar-position model based on NOAA/USNO algorithms. Given a date, latitude, and longitude, it calculates the Sun's declination and hour angle, then finds when the solar disc crosses the horizon (accounting for atmospheric refraction). Results are converted to the city's IANA time zone, including daylight saving time where applicable. No external API is required.