Calculate sunrise and sunset

Estimate apparent sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and daylight duration in UTC from coordinates and date.

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ToolSunrise and Sunset Calculator
Input
Output
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Preview

How it works

A Julian-century model yields equation of time and solar declination, then latitude and the standard 90.833° apparent zenith determine the hour angle. Longitude shifts UTC solar noon and the two crossings supply sunrise and sunset.

  • UTC avoids inventing a legal timezone from coordinates alone.
  • The 90.833° zenith incorporates conventional solar-radius and atmospheric-refraction allowances.

Worked example

The equator near an equinox
Input
											Latitude: 0
Longitude: 0
Date: 2026-03-20
Output
												Sunrise: 06:04 UTC
Sunset: 18:11 UTC
Solar noon: 12:07 UTC
Day length hours: 12.11
Note:

When to use this

Photography plans estimate daylight boundaries, observation logs compare day length, and high-latitude trips check for midnight sun or polar night.

Edge cases

  • An hour-angle cosine above 1 means polar night and no horizon crossing.
  • A value below -1 means midnight sun and 24 reported daylight hours.
  • Terrain, elevation, pressure, temperature, and unusual refraction can move the observed event away from this estimate.

References