Sunrise & Sunset Times Today — Free Solar Calculators

About SunCalc

SunCalc provides free, accurate solar calculators for sunrise, sunset, golden hour, blue hour, and day length. Whether you are a photographer planning a shoot, a gardener tracking sunlight, or simply curious about the sun, all results are instant with no sign-up required.

How Sunrise and Sunset Times Are Calculated

Sunrise and sunset times depend on latitude, longitude, and the date. The calculation uses the solar declination angle (how far north or south of the celestial equator the sun is, which changes throughout the year as Earth orbits the sun) and the hour angle (the sun's angular distance from the observer's meridian). Solar noon — when the sun is at its highest point in the sky — occurs when the sun crosses the observer's meridian, which is local apparent solar time 12:00. This differs from clock noon by the equation of time (up to ±16 minutes due to Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt) and the observer's longitude within their time zone.

The Golden Hour and Blue Hour for Photography

The golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise and before sunset when sunlight is warm in colour (2,000–3,500 K colour temperature) and travels at a low angle, casting long soft shadows and minimising harsh contrast. It lasts approximately 20–60 minutes depending on latitude and season — longer at high latitudes where the sun moves more obliquely across the sky. The blue hour occurs before sunrise and after sunset during civil twilight, when the sun is between 0° and 6° below the horizon. The sky appears a deep, even blue because scattered indirect sunlight provides ambient illumination without direct sun. Photographers prize both periods for portraiture, architecture, and landscape work.

Day Length, Solstices, and Seasonal Variation

The length of the day — time between sunrise and sunset — varies dramatically with latitude and season. At the equator, day length is nearly constant at 12 hours year-round. At 50° north latitude (London, Vancouver), day length ranges from about 7.5 hours at the winter solstice to 16.5 hours at the summer solstice. At the Arctic Circle (66.5° north), the sun does not set for several days around the summer solstice (midnight sun) and does not rise for several days around the winter solstice (polar night). The summer solstice (around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere) is the longest day; the winter solstice (around December 21) is the shortest.