Sunrise Calculator — Free Online Sunrise Time Tool

How to Use the Sunrise Calculator

1. Select a city or enter coordinates: Choose from 10 global city presets including New York, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Paris, Dubai, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Singapore, and Cairo. Selecting a city automatically fills the latitude and longitude fields. Alternatively, enter custom coordinates for any location worldwide. Latitude ranges from -90 (South Pole) to 90 (North Pole), and longitude from -180 to 180 degrees.
2. Choose your date: Select the date for which you want to calculate the sunrise. The calculator defaults to today's date. You can choose any date to plan ahead for outdoor events, photography sessions, or travel. The algorithm works accurately for dates within several centuries of the present.
3. Read the sunrise results: The main display shows the sunrise time in approximate local time based on your longitude. Below that, you will find UTC times for sunrise, solar noon, and civil dawn, plus the total day length. UTC times are the astronomically precise values independent of time zone politics.
4. Check the local time panel: The highlighted panel at the bottom converts all key times to your approximate local timezone. The UTC offset is calculated as longitude divided by 15 hours. Remember that actual local times may differ from these estimates due to political time zone boundaries and Daylight Saving Time adjustments.

The calculator updates instantly whenever you change any input. Try different dates to observe how sunrise times shift throughout the year, especially at higher latitudes where seasonal changes are most dramatic.

Sunrise Calculation Formula

Variables Explained

• Hour Angle: The angular distance the Earth must rotate for the Sun to reach a specific altitude. For sunrise, this is measured from solar noon backward. One hour of time equals 15 degrees of hour angle.
• Latitude (lat): Your north-south position on Earth in degrees. Positive values represent the Northern Hemisphere, negative values the Southern Hemisphere. Range: -90 to 90 degrees.
• Solar Declination (dec): The angle between the Sun's rays and the plane of Earth's equator. It varies from +23.44 degrees (summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere) to -23.44 degrees (winter solstice). This is the primary driver of seasonal sunrise time variation.
• -0.833 degrees: The altitude correction for sunrise, combining atmospheric refraction (approximately 0.567 degrees) and the Sun's apparent semi-diameter (approximately 0.266 degrees). The Sun is considered to have risen when its upper limb touches the horizon.
• Solar Noon: The moment when the Sun reaches its highest point, calculated from the Julian Day number, the equation of time, and the observer's longitude.

Step-by-Step Example

Calculate sunrise for New York City (40.7128° N, 74.006° W) on March 20, 2026 (spring equinox):

1. Convert the date to Julian Day Number: JD = 2461286.0
2. Calculate the Sun's mean anomaly: M = 357.5291 + 0.98560028 × (JD - 2451545) modulo 360
3. Calculate the equation of center: C = 1.9148 × sin(M) + 0.02 × sin(2M)
4. Calculate ecliptic longitude: lambda = M + C + 180 + 102.9372 (mod 360)
5. Calculate solar declination: sin(dec) = sin(lambda) × sin(23.4393°)
6. Near equinox, declination is approximately 0°, so hour angle simplifies
7. Sunrise UTC is approximately 10:04 UTC, which is approximately 05:04 local (EST/UTC-5)

On the spring equinox, day and night are nearly equal worldwide, with approximately 12 hours of daylight. The sunrise time will be close to 6:00 AM local solar time at any location.

Practical Examples

Example 1: Sarah's Landscape Photography Session

Sarah is a landscape photographer planning a sunrise shoot at Grand Canyon National Park (36.0544° N, 112.1401° W) on April 15, 2026. She needs to arrive before civil dawn to set up her tripod and frame her shot in the blue hour light. Using the sunrise calculator:

• Civil dawn: approximately 05:35 local time
• Sunrise: approximately 06:01 local time
• Day length: approximately 13 hours 12 minutes
• Solar noon: approximately 12:27 local time

Sarah plans to arrive at the South Rim overlook by 05:15 local time, giving her 20 minutes before civil dawn to set up. The 26 minutes between civil dawn and sunrise provide perfect blue-hour conditions for dramatic canyon photographs with rich color gradients in the sky.

Example 2: Marcus' Running Training Schedule

Marcus lives in London (51.5074° N, 0.1278° W) and prefers running in daylight. He wants to plan his morning runs for January 2026, the darkest month in London. Using the sunrise calculator for January 15, 2026:

• Civil dawn: approximately 07:20 local time (GMT)
• Sunrise: approximately 08:02 local time
• Day length: approximately 8 hours 25 minutes
• Sunset: approximately 16:27 local time

Marcus discovers that sunrise in mid-January London does not occur until after 8:00 AM. He adjusts his weekday runs to start at 07:30, running during civil twilight when there is sufficient light for safety. On weekends, he can start at 08:00 for full daylight runs. By comparing January dates with July dates (sunrise around 04:50), he sees the enormous 3-hour seasonal variation at London's latitude.

Example 3: Aisha's Ramadan Prayer Schedule

Aisha lives in Dubai (25.2048° N, 55.2708° E) and needs accurate pre-dawn (Fajr) times for Ramadan 2026, which begins in late February. The Fajr prayer time is tied to astronomical dawn or civil dawn depending on the calculation method. Using the sunrise calculator for March 1, 2026:

• Astronomical dawn: approximately 04:52 local time
• Civil dawn: approximately 05:47 local time
• Sunrise: approximately 06:13 local time
• Day length: approximately 11 hours 46 minutes

Aisha can use the civil dawn time as a close approximation for the pre-dawn meal cutoff (Suhoor). She notes that by the end of Ramadan in late March, sunrise moves about 20 minutes earlier, shortening the available Suhoor window. She checks each week to adjust her schedule as day length increases during the spring transition.

Example 4: David's Solar Panel Optimization

David installed solar panels on his roof in Sydney, Australia (-33.8688° S, 151.2093° E) and wants to understand his daily solar window throughout the year. He checks the sunrise calculator for both the summer solstice (December 22) and winter solstice (June 21) to determine the range:

• December 22 (summer): sunrise 05:42, sunset 20:06, day length 14h 24m
• June 21 (winter): sunrise 07:00, sunset 16:53, day length 9h 53m
• Annual day length variation: approximately 4 hours 31 minutes

David learns that his solar panels receive about 4.5 more hours of potential sunlight in summer versus winter. He uses this information to estimate seasonal energy production and adjust his electricity usage patterns. The solar noon time helps him verify his panels are optimally angled when the Sun is highest. For time zone conversions, our time zone calculator can help coordinate with international contacts.

Sunrise Times Reference Table

Approximate local sunrise times for the longest and shortest days of the year. Southern Hemisphere seasons are reversed relative to Northern Hemisphere.

Tips and Complete Guide

Understanding Atmospheric Refraction

When you see the Sun on the horizon at sunrise, it is actually about 0.567 degrees below the geometric horizon. Earth's atmosphere bends (refracts) sunlight, lifting the Sun's apparent position. This refraction effect is strongest near the horizon, where light travels through the maximum thickness of atmosphere. Standard sunrise calculations use a correction of -0.833 degrees, combining the refraction effect with the Sun's semi-diameter (0.266 degrees). Actual refraction varies with temperature and atmospheric pressure: cold, high-pressure conditions increase refraction, potentially shifting sunrise by a minute or two from the standard calculation.

Seasonal Patterns and the Solstices

Earth's 23.44-degree axial tilt creates the seasonal cycle of sunrise times. At the summer solstice (around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere), the Sun rises at its earliest and the day is longest. At the winter solstice (around December 21), sunrise is latest and the day is shortest. However, the earliest sunrise and latest sunrise do not always coincide exactly with the solstice dates due to the equation of time — the difference between apparent solar time and mean solar time caused by Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt. In many mid-latitude locations, the earliest sunrise occurs a few days before the summer solstice.

Using Sunrise Data for Photography

Photographers prize the golden hour (the first hour after sunrise) and the blue hour (the period before sunrise when the sky has a deep blue tone) for their warm, diffused lighting. To capture the blue hour, arrive at your location before civil dawn. The golden hour begins immediately after sunrise and offers warm, directional light that is ideal for landscapes, portraits, and architectural photography. At higher latitudes during summer, the golden hour can extend to well over an hour because the Sun rises at a shallow angle, staying close to the horizon longer. Our sunset calculator can help you plan evening golden hour shoots as well.

Sunrise at Extreme Latitudes

Beyond the Arctic Circle (66.5° N) and Antarctic Circle (66.5° S), there are periods when the Sun does not rise at all (polar night) or does not set (midnight sun). At the North Pole, the Sun rises around the spring equinox (March 20) and does not set until the autumn equinox (September 22), providing approximately 6 months of continuous daylight followed by 6 months of continuous darkness. Cities like Tromso, Norway (69.6° N) experience about 2 months of polar night in winter and 2 months of midnight sun in summer. These extreme conditions significantly impact human health, agriculture, and daily routines in polar communities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Confusing UTC with local time: The calculator provides precise UTC times and approximate local times. Always verify which timezone your plans use. A UTC sunrise of 10:00 translates to 05:00 in New York (UTC-5) during Eastern Standard Time.
• Ignoring Daylight Saving Time: Our longitude-based local time estimate does not account for DST. During summer months, many regions shift their clocks forward by one hour, meaning actual clock time may be one hour later than the estimate.
• Assuming consistent sunrise across a city: Large cities can span significant longitude ranges. The sunrise time difference between the eastern and western edges of a large metropolitan area can be several minutes.
• Forgetting altitude effects: The calculator assumes sea-level observation. At higher elevations, you can see the Sun slightly earlier because your elevated vantage point extends the visible horizon. The correction is approximately 1 minute earlier per 1,500 meters of elevation.
• Planning too close to sunrise: If you need daylight for outdoor activities, plan around civil dawn (Sun at -6 degrees) rather than sunrise. Civil dawn provides sufficient light for most activities and begins 20-35 minutes before sunrise depending on latitude.

Frequently Asked Questions