How accurate are these times?

This tool uses the NOAA Solar Calculator algorithm, accurate to within ±1 minute for most locations and dates between 1901 and 2099. Accuracy decreases slightly near the poles or outside that date range.

Solar noon is the moment when the sun reaches its highest point — directly above the local meridian. It is the midpoint between sunrise and sunset and differs from 12:00 PM clock time due to time zones and the equation of time.

Why does sunrise differ within the same time zone?

Solar times depend on your exact longitude. Two cities in the same time zone but hundreds of kilometers apart experience sunrise at different clock times because the sun crosses their meridians at different moments.

What happens at very high latitudes?

Near the poles the sun may not rise or set at all. The tool displays "No sunrise" or "No sunset" for those extreme cases (midnight sun or polar night).

What is the 90.833° zenith angle?

Standard sunrise/sunset is defined as when the sun's center is at 90.833° from the zenith. The extra 0.833° accounts for atmospheric refraction (~0.57°) and the sun's apparent radius (~0.265°), so the sun appears on the horizon slightly before its geometric center arrives.

Does this tool account for daylight saving time?

No — enter the UTC offset you want displayed. During DST, add one extra hour to your standard UTC offset (e.g., enter +2 instead of +1) to get DST-adjusted local times.

Sunrise & Sunset Time Calculator

Name: Sunrise & Sunset Time Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Enter a date and your latitude/longitude to get sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and total daylight hours using the NOAA solar algorithm.

Location & Date

Date

Latitude (−90 to 90, + = north)

Longitude (−180 to 180, + = east)

UTC Offset (decimal hours, e.g. −5, +5.5, +9.5)

Quick Presets

Enter a date and coordinates, then click Calculate.

Summary

Enter a date and your latitude/longitude to get sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and total daylight hours using the NOAA solar algorithm.

How it works

Enter the target date, or click "Today" to use the current date.
Enter your latitude (positive = north, negative = south) and longitude (positive = east, negative = west).
Enter your UTC offset in decimal hours (e.g. +5.5 for IST, −5 for EST).
The NOAA algorithm computes solar declination, equation of time, and hour angle for the Julian date.
Sunrise and sunset are derived from when the sun crosses the 90.833° zenith angle (standard refraction included).
Results display local times for sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and total daylight duration.

Use cases

Plan outdoor photography during the golden hour at any location.
Determine prayer times or daylight fasting windows for a specific city.
Calculate how many daylight hours a solar panel will receive on a given day.
Plan hiking, fishing, or farming activities around sunrise and sunset.
Verify almanac data or compare day lengths across different latitudes.
Find the exact solar noon for a sundial calibration.
Research seasonal daylight variation for educational projects.
Check whether a polar location has midnight sun or polar night on a given date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-15 · Reviewed by Nham Vu