About SunCalc

SunCalc is a free collection of solar calculators built for photographers, gardeners, hikers, astronomers, and anyone who wants to understand the sun's behavior at any location on Earth. Calculate sunrise and sunset times, golden hour and blue hour windows, solar elevation and azimuth, day length, and twilight phases — all for any latitude, longitude, and date.

Our Mission

The position of the sun shapes everything from photography lighting to plant growth to outdoor activity planning, yet most people don't have easy access to precise solar data for their specific location. SunCalc's mission is to make professional-grade solar calculations accessible to everyone: enter your coordinates or location name, pick a date, and get the exact solar data you need — instantly and for free.

All calculations run entirely in your browser. Location data you enter is used only for the calculation and is never stored or transmitted to any server.

What We Offer

• Sunrise & Sunset Calculator: Find precise sunrise and sunset times for any location and date worldwide. Results include civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight phases.
• Golden Hour Calculator: Determine the exact golden hour window — the period shortly after sunrise and before sunset when natural light is warm, soft, and directional. Essential for landscape and portrait photographers.
• Blue Hour Calculator: Find the blue hour window — the brief period of twilight when the sky transitions from deep blue to black. Popular for architectural and cityscape photography.
• Solar Elevation & Azimuth: Calculate the sun's altitude above the horizon and compass direction at any moment. Used for solar panel positioning, shadow analysis, and photography planning.
• Day Length Calculator: Find the total hours of daylight for any location and date. Track how day length changes through the seasons at different latitudes.
• Solar Noon Calculator: Find the moment when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky — important for sundials, shadow-free photography, and agricultural planning.
• Twilight Calculator: Calculate civil twilight (enough light to see without artificial lighting), nautical twilight (horizon visible at sea), and astronomical twilight (sky dark enough for observation).

Who Uses SunCalc?

• Photographers: Planning shoots around golden hour, blue hour, and avoiding harsh midday light
• Gardeners and farmers: Understanding seasonal daylight for planting schedules and greenhouse management
• Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts: Planning hikes to finish before sunset and knowing when twilight ends
• Sailors and pilots: Nautical and astronomical twilight calculations for navigation and flight planning
• Solar energy professionals: Solar elevation data for panel orientation and shading analysis
• Astronomers: Knowing when astronomical darkness begins for observation sessions

How Our Calculators Work

SunCalc uses the NOAA Solar Calculator algorithm, based on equations from Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms (1998). This is the same methodology used by the US Naval Observatory and NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory. Results are accurate to within one minute for locations between 72°N and 72°S latitude. Extreme latitudes (near the poles) may experience midnight sun or polar night conditions where standard sunrise/sunset calculations do not apply.

All calculations run directly in your browser. No location data is sent to any server.

Contact and Feedback

Found a calculation discrepancy or want to suggest a new solar tool? Visit our contact page. We review all messages and prioritize accuracy reports.