Sun Position Calculator
Find the Sun's elevation and compass direction (azimuth) for any place, date and time.
About the Sun Position Calculator
Enter a date, local time, latitude, longitude and time zone. The calculator gives the Sun's elevation and compass direction, the shadow length of a 1 m pole and the day's highest elevation.
The Sun's position depends on your latitude and longitude, the date (which sets the solar declination) and the time. This uses the NOAA solar position algorithm, including atmospheric refraction, accurate to well under a degree. Useful for solar panels, photography, garden planning and shadow lengths.
The formula
sin(elevation) = sin φ sin δ + cos φ cos δ cos H
- φ
- latitude
- δ
- solar declination
- H
- hour angle (15° per hour from solar noon)
Worked example
New York (40.71° N, 74.01° W) at noon on 1 January
- Elevation 26.4°; azimuth 180° (due south)
- A 1 m pole casts a 2.02 m shadow
Questions people ask
What does azimuth 180° mean?
Due south; 90° is east and 270° west.
Best solar panel angle?
Roughly your latitude, facing the equator, for year-round output.