Sunrise & Sunset
Sunrise, sunset, solar noon and day length for a full month at a chosen location.
How it works
Times are computed with the NOAA solar position equations from the location’s latitude and longitude. Sunrise and sunset are the moments the centre of the sun sits 0.833° below the horizon, which allows for atmospheric refraction and the radius of the solar disc. Civil dawn and dusk use 6° below the horizon — the point at which outdoor activity typically needs artificial light.
The model assumes a flat horizon at sea level. Mountains, tall buildings and unusual atmospheric conditions can move the observed times by several minutes, and inside the polar circles the sun may not cross the horizon at all, which the table reports explicitly.
Examples
Planning an early start. Look up first light rather than sunrise: civil dawn is typically half an hour earlier and is usually enough to work or walk by, which changes what time it is worth setting an alarm for.
Comparing two cities. London and Berlin sit at similar latitudes but Berlin is nearly ten degrees further east, so it sees the sun roughly forty minutes earlier in clock terms despite sharing much of the year's daylight pattern.
Checking a northern summer. Somewhere like Reykjavik in June the gap between sunset and sunrise shrinks to a couple of hours of twilight, and the page reports that rather than pretending there is a normal night.
Practical notes
Sunrise and sunset are defined as the moment the centre of the sun sits 0.833° below the horizon. That allowance covers atmospheric refraction, which lifts the apparent sun by about half a degree, and the radius of the solar disc. It is why the sun appears to rise slightly before it geometrically does.
The model assumes a flat horizon at sea level. Hills, buildings and altitude all move the observed times, sometimes by many minutes in a valley or behind a ridge, so treat the figures as the times for an idealised location rather than for your window.
Inside the polar circles the sun may not cross the horizon at all for weeks at a time. The page reports that explicitly instead of inventing a time, which is the honest answer even though it is less convenient than a number.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are the times?
Within about a minute for most inhabited latitudes. Accuracy falls off close to the poles and around the equinoxes there.
Why does my local newspaper print a slightly different time?
Published tables are often calculated for the centre of a city or a specific observation point, and may account for local elevation and terrain.
What is solar noon?
The moment the sun reaches its highest point. It rarely falls at 12:00 because time zones are political boundaries, not lines of longitude.
Why does the published time differ from mine by a few minutes?
Local horizon and elevation. These figures assume a flat sea-level horizon; a hill to your east delays sunrise, and height above sea level brings it forward.
What is civil twilight?
The period when the sun is up to 6° below the horizon. There is generally enough light to see and work outdoors without artificial lighting, which is why it, rather than sunrise, is the useful figure for an early start.
Why is the day not exactly twelve hours at the equinox?
Because sunrise is measured to the top edge of the sun and refraction lifts it further. That adds several minutes of daylight at both ends.
Can I see times for a whole month?
Yes, the table covers a month at a time so you can see the trend rather than a single day.
Does it account for altitude?
No. The figures assume sea level with a flat horizon, so height above sea level brings sunrise forward by a few minutes and delays sunset.
What is the earliest sunrise of the year?
Usually a few days before the June solstice in the northern hemisphere, not on it — the asymmetry comes from the equation of time.
Why are days longer in summer?
The Earth's axis is tilted about 23.4 degrees. In summer your hemisphere leans towards the sun, so it traces a longer, higher path across the sky.
Does the sun rise due east at the equinox?
Almost exactly, everywhere on Earth. Away from the equinoxes the rising point swings north or south, and the swing grows with latitude.