Sunrise & Sunset Calculator
Find sunrise, sunset, solar noon, golden hour and day length for any place and date.
About the Sunrise & Sunset Calculator
Times use the NOAA solar position algorithm. Sunrise and sunset are when the top of the sun touches the horizon, allowing for atmospheric refraction (sun centre 0.833° below the horizon). Civil twilight ends when the sun is 6° below the horizon; golden hour here is when the sun is below 6° altitude. Results are typically within a minute at mid-latitudes; hills, buildings and altitude change what you actually see.
The formula
cos H = (cos 90.833° − sin φ sin δ) ÷ (cos φ cos δ); sunrise = solar noon − 4H minutes
Worked example
Example: Sunrise · sunset = 06:16 · 18:03
- Inputs: Date: 15 March 2026; Latitude: 57 °; Longitude: -0.14 °; UTC offset on that date: 0 hours.
- Formula: cos H = (cos 90.833° − sin φ sin δ) ÷ (cos φ cos δ); sunrise = solar noon − 4H minutes
- Result: Sunrise · sunset = 06:16 · 18:03
- Civil dawn: 05:38
- Civil dusk: 18:41
- Day length: 11 h 47 min
Questions people ask
Why does sunset keep getting earlier after the solstice?
The equation of time shifts solar noon, so earliest sunset and latest sunrise don't fall on the solstice.
Is daylight saving included?
Enter the UTC offset in force on that date.