2026-09-14 9 min

Sunrise Calculator

Exact sunrise for any date and location — with solar noon, sunset context, day length, and polar-day handling.

Calculator

Date

Location

Latitude

Longitude

UTC Offset

Results update automatically

Results update live as you type

Status:Rise 7:19 AMNoon 12:39 PMDay 10h 41m

Sunrise Summary

Sunrise7:19 AM (07:19)

Solar noon12:39 PM

Sunset6:00 PM

Day length10h 41m (10.69 h)

Declination-12.4°

Light Progress

Daylight share10.7 / 24 h

Day vs equinox 12 h10.69 h

Night hours13.3 h

Breakdown

Measure	Value
Sunset (context)	6:00 PM
Solar noon	12:39 PM
Decimal day	10.69 h
Declination	-12.4°
Location	40.71°, -74.00°
Date	Monday, October 26, 2026

Results

Optimal

Sunrise

7:19 AM (07:19)

Local sunrise (upper limb, refracted)

Solar Noon

12:39 PM

Highest-sun moment, shadows shortest

Sunset

6:00 PM

Same-equation counterpart for context

Day Length

10h 41m

10.69 decimal hours

Solar Declination

-12.4°

Sun’s celestial latitude today

UTC Offset Used

UTC-4

Local rendering offset

Date

Monday, October 26, 2026

Checked date in long form

Coordinates

40.71°, -74.00°

Entered location

NOAA sunrise-equation math (±1–2 min vs observatories). Refraction and elevation included via the 90.833° zenith; terrain and weather excluded.

Visualizations

Day vs Night (hours)

10.7hDaylight

13.3hNight

Daylight Share of 24h

Daylight10.7h

Daylight vs Equinox 12h

Daylight10.7

Formula

The sunrise equation solves when the sun's center reaches 0.833° below the horizon (upper limb + refraction), giving symmetric rise/set hour angles around solar noon.

cosH from NOAA sunrise equation at 90.833°; T = H + RA − 0.06571t − 6.622

Alternative Form

Day length = set − rise; noon = rise + day/2

Variables

Symbol	Name	Unit	Description
N	Day of year	1–366	Orbital position proxy
δ	Declination	degrees	Sun's celestial latitude
H	Hour angle	degrees	Rotation to horizon crossing
T	UTC time	hours	H + RA adjusted

Explanation

Earth's tilt (declination) and your latitude jointly set the hour angle: same date, different sunrise in Miami vs Montreal — exactly as observed.

Derivation

M → L → RA → sinDec → cosH → H± → T → UTC → local; polar when |cosH|>1.

Step-by-Step Calculation

Follow each step to understand how the result is calculated from your inputs.

Step 1

Read date, coordinates, and UTC offset.

Inputs: date + lat/lng + offset

Date:2026-10-26

Latitude:40.71

Longitude:-74

Intermediate: Defaults aim at New York City

Result: Monday, October 26, 2026

Step 2

Compute the day-of-year and solar mean anomaly.

M = 0.9856 × t − 3.289 (t = days + hour fraction)

Day of Year:299

Intermediate: Earth’s orbital position proxy

Result: Mean anomaly placed

Step 3

Find true longitude, right ascension, and declination.

L, RA, sinDec = 0.39782 × sin(L)

Declination:-12.4°

Intermediate: Sun’s celestial coordinates today

Result: Declination -12.4°

Step 4

Solve the hour angle at the 90.833° zenith.

cosH from latitude, declination, refraction zenith

Zenith:90.833° (limb + refraction)

Intermediate: Two symmetric solutions

Result: Rise and set angles found

Step 5

Convert hour angles to UTC, then local time.

Local = UTC + offset

Sunrise:7:19 AM

Sunset:6:00 PM

Noon:12:39 PM

Intermediate: Minute rounding last

Result: Rise 7:19 AM · set 6:00 PM

Step 6

Difference rise and set for day length.

Day = sunset − sunrise

Day Length:10h 41m

Intermediate: Night = 24 h − day

Result: 10h 41m

Final Answer

7:19 AM (07:19)

Worked Examples

See how the calculator works with different scenarios.

Scenario

Sep 22, 2026 in New York (40.71, −74, UTC−4).

Inputs

Date:2026-09-22

Place:NYC

Calculation

Near-equinox → ~6:45 AM rise, ~12 h day

Result

Sunrise ≈ 6:45 AM EDT

Interpretation

Equinox splits day and night nearly evenly worldwide.

Understanding Your Result

Your Result: Sunrise: 7:19 AM (07:19)

Typical range: Mid-latitude sunrises swing ~5:00–7:30 AM across the year; day length 9–15 h.

What This Means

Sunrise is the actionable alarm; noon anchors shadows and panels; sunset and day length frame the whole photoperiod.

Why It Matters

Training, shooting, farming, and prayer times all key off sunrise. ±2-minute accuracy schedules them confidently.

Professional Interpretation

Photographers pair this with Golden Hour; growers track photoperiod for crops.

Recommendations

•Verify DST offsets seasonally
•Pair with Golden Hour for shoots
•Check polar flags past 66°
•Use noon for panel angles
•Share 24-hour times with crews

Educational Content

Introduction

The Sunrise Calculator solves the NOAA sunrise equation for any date and coordinates, with noon, sunset, and day-length context.

Concept Explanation

Orbital position gives solar coordinates; latitude plus the refracted horizon gives hour angles; offsets render local times.

Applications

▸Timing runs, shoots, and prayers

▸Aiming solar panels at noon

▸Planning farm photoperiods

▸Scheduling outdoor events

▸Teaching orbital geometry

Benefits

•Anywhere on Earth
•Polar cases handled honestly
•Noon included
•DST-explicit offsets

Limitations

•±1–2 min vs observatories
•No terrain/elevation
•No weather extinction

Best Practices

•Confirm offsets per season
•Pair with Golden Hour
•Respect polar flags
•Use 24-hour with teams

Common Misconceptions

Myth: Sunrise is when light appears.

Truth: First light (dawn) precedes geometric sunrise by 30–70 minutes.

Myth: Noon means 12:00.

Truth: Solar noon wanders ±15 min by longitude and season — computed here exactly.

Myth: Day length splits evenly around noon.

Truth: True — rise and set sit symmetric about solar noon by construction.

Practical Tips

•Confirm seasonal offsets
•Pair with Golden Hour
•Respect polar flags
•Use noon for panels
•Share 24-hour times
•Check equinox baselines
•Recheck after moves

Common Mistakes

Using winter offsets in summer

DST shifts local sunrise an hour — update the offset.

Ignoring polar flags

Past 66° the sun may not rise at all in winter.

Confusing dawn with sunrise

Civil dawn runs ~30 min earlier; plan headlamps accordingly.

Sign errors on longitude

East is +, West is −; flipped signs mirror the answer.

Assumptions

This calculator makes the following assumptions to provide estimates:

NOAA Method: Sunrise-equation standard.

90.833° Zenith: Limb + refraction included.

Sea Level: Elevation unmodelled.

Manual Offset: DST via entered value.

Limitations

Be aware of these limitations when using this calculator:

±2 Minutes: Vs observatory-grade models.

No Terrain: Mountains delay real sunrise.

No Weather: Clouds unmodelled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about this calculator.

What time is sunrise today?

Enter today's date with your coordinates and current UTC offset — the headline gives local sunrise in 12- and 24-hour forms.

Why does sunrise swing so much yearly?

Earth's 23.4° tilt changes solar declination ±23.4°, stretching high-summer arcs and shrinking winter ones at your latitude.

Do I need my exact coordinates?

Within ~50 km suffices for minute accuracy; city centers work. Longitude matters most — 15° equals one hour.

What offset should I enter?

Your local UTC offset on that date, DST included (e.g., New York −4 in summer, −5 in winter).

What happens past the Arctic Circle?

Polar day/night messages replace times when the sun never crosses the horizon — honest, not an error.

How is this different from first light?

Sunrise is the geometric limb crossing; civil dawn (usable light) runs ~30 minutes earlier.

How accurate are these date calculations?

All math uses UTC midnight-to-midnight day arithmetic, so daylight-saving shifts never add or remove an hour from a day count. Results are exact for the Gregorian calendar for any date from 1900 through 2100.

Do leap years affect the result?

Yes, automatically. February 29 exists in leap years (divisible by 4, except centuries unless divisible by 400), and every total-days figure in this calculator counts it exactly.

Why do months give uneven results?

Months are 28 to 31 days long, so converting days to months is approximate. This calculator reports exact years, months, and days using calendar arithmetic, plus exact totals in days, weeks, and hours so nothing is hidden by rounding.

Which time zone is used?

Dates are parsed and compared in UTC to keep results identical in every time zone. Enter the calendar date as written; the exact hour of day is not modelled unless a time field is shown.

What date format should I enter?

Use the date picker or YYYY-MM-DD format, for example 2026-09-14. The calculator validates February 30 and similar impossible dates and falls back to today when a field is empty.

Can the end date be before the start date?

If the dates arrive reversed, the calculator swaps them internally and still reports a positive span, so the breakdown always describes the true distance between the two dates.

How does the Sunrise Calculator estimate sunrise and sunset?

It combines date, latitude and longitude with solar declination and standard refraction for the visible limb. Results are good within minutes for planning; official tables govern navigation.

Why do sunrise times change with latitude and season?

Higher latitudes tilt more toward or away from the sun, stretching summer days and shrinking winter days. Near equinoxes day and night balance near 12 hours everywhere.

What are golden hour, blue hour, dawn, dusk and twilight?

Golden is warm low sun just after rise and before set, blue is indirect light when sun is 4 to 8 degrees below horizon, and dawn/dusk bookend twilight phases. Photographers plan shoots on those windows, not noon.

What is solar noon and how is it different from clock noon?

Solar noon is when the sun peaks for your longitude, which can differ an hour or more from 12:00 due to zone width and DST. The Sunrise Calculator reports solar noon separately from civil noon.

How does daylight saving affect sunrise wall times?

DST shifts wall clocks one hour without moving actual solar events, so sunrise reads an hour later by the clock in summer. Compare solar spans for true daylight and wall times for alarms.

How accurate are moon phase and moon age estimates?

Phase from synodic 29.53-day math is accurate within a day for casual use, with full and new moons flagged to the nearest date. Telescope planning should confirm with an ephemeris for exact illumination.

What causes polar day and polar night?

Above the Arctic or below the Antarctic circle the sun can stay up or down 24 hours near solstices. The Sunrise Calculator flags those no-rise or no-set cases instead of forcing a time.

How do equinoxes and solstices relate to daylight hours?

Equinoxes near Mar 20 and Sep 22 balance day and night, June solstice maximizes northern daylight, December minimizes it. Daylight-hours peaks and troughs align to those four dates.

Can I use the Sunrise Calculator for any city worldwide?

Yes with latitude and longitude or city selection, because solar geometry needs position. Coastal versus mountain horizon and elevation shift visible times by minutes.

How should photographers use golden and blue windows?

Arrive 30 minutes before golden start for setup and stay through blue for city lights. The Sunrise Calculator duration of each window guides battery, lens and permit planning.

Why do official tables sometimes differ by a few minutes?

Different refraction, horizon elevation and rounding conventions move results slightly. Treat calculator times as planning estimates and confirm critical events with the local observatory table.

How are lunar dates and religious calendars handled?

Lunar months average 29.53 days with observation and regional rules shifting start by a day. Use the Sunrise Calculator for approximation and the authoritative religious calendar for observance.

What is the difference between next full moon and next new moon?

Full is fully lit opposite the sun, new is dark near the sun, spaced about 14.77 days apart. The countdown targets the next occurrence after today, not the current phase age.

How do clouds, elevation and horizon affect viewing?

Low horizons and altitude advance rise and delay set by minutes, while clouds can obscure short twilight windows entirely. Build a 15-minute buffer around the listed time outdoors.

How can I archive a shoot plan with sun and moon times?

Save date, location, sunrise, sunset, golden, blue and moon phase together with time zone. The crew can then verify solar noon plus half daylight equals sunset.

Is the Sunrise Calculator free for shoot and trip planning?

Yes, free with no sign-up on any device. Bookmark locations and re-run per date for scouting without extra apps.