Sunrise and Sunset Calculator
Choose a city and date to see when the sun rises and sets there.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How is sunrise time calculated?
From the sun's position (declination and hour angle) for the given date and location, using standard solar position equations - the same underlying astronomy used by observatories and navigation, accurate to within about a minute.
Why are sunrise and sunset times different every day?
Earth's axial tilt (about 23.4°) means the sun's path across the sky shifts throughout the year as the planet orbits, changing day length and the exact rise/set times - most dramatically near the solstices and least around the equinoxes.
What does 'midnight sun' or 'polar night' mean?
Near the poles, at some times of year the sun never sets (midnight sun, in summer) or never rises (polar night, in winter) - this calculator flags those cases instead of showing a sunrise/sunset time that doesn't exist.
Does this account for daylight saving time?
Yes - times are shown in the selected city's local time zone, which automatically reflects daylight saving time if that zone observes it on the chosen date.
What is 'civil twilight' and does this tool show it?
Civil twilight is the period before sunrise or after sunset when the sun is up to 6° below the horizon and there's still usable natural light. This calculator reports the standard sunrise and sunset times (sun at the horizon) rather than separate twilight boundaries.
How much shorter is daylight in December compared to June for a city like London?
London's day length swings from around 7.5 hours near the December solstice to about 16.5 hours near the June solstice - roughly a 9-hour difference caused by Earth's axial tilt, far more pronounced than at a city near the equator.
Why do sunrise and sunset times differ from what's shown in a generic weather app?
Small differences (usually under a minute) can arise from rounding, atmospheric refraction assumptions, or slightly different reference coordinates for a city; the underlying solar position math is the same standard method used across most sources.