When does the sun rise and set?

How it works

The Sun rises and sets at times that depend on where you are and on the date. The Earth's axis is tilted, so the Sun climbs higher in summer and the days get longer; the further from the equator, the bigger the change. Far enough north or south the Sun does not set at all in midsummer (the midnight sun) and does not rise in midwinter (the polar night).

The page works out the Sun's position from the date and the place, then finds the moments when its centre is 0.833° below the horizon: the Sun's edge touches the horizon, and the air bends the light up by about half a degree. Dawn and dusk are the moments the Sun is 6° (civil), 12° (nautical) and 18° (astronomical) below the horizon; after astronomical dusk the sky is fully dark. Solar noon is when the Sun is highest. Example: in Helsinki on 21 June the day is about 19 hours long, in December under 6 hours. Method: the NOAA solar calculator, based on Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms.

Times are good to about a minute between latitudes 72° north and south, and less exact near the poles. The page does not know hills, buildings, weather or your height above the sea, and it does not guess a time zone from the coordinates: pick the zone you want the times in.