Sunrise and Sunset Times
Choose a city and a date to see the times and the length of the day.
Times are in the city's local time.
How it is calculated
cos H = (sin(−0.833°) − sin φ × sin δ) ÷ (cos φ × cos δ)
Day length = 2 × H ÷ 15° in hours
Notation
- φ
- latitude of the city
- δ
- declination of the sun on this date
- H
- hour angle from solar noon to sunset
Worked example
- Vilnius, 21 December 2026: φ = 54.687°, δ ≈ −23.44°.
- cos H ≈ 0.585, so H ≈ 54.2°.
- Day length: 2 × 54.2 ÷ 15 ≈ 7.23 hours, or about 7 h 14 min. Sunrise 08:39, sunset 15:53.
The times come from a standard astronomical formula based on the date and the city's coordinates, so no internet weather service is involved. Results can differ by a minute or two from official almanacs, and hills or tall buildings shift what you actually see.
The table shows local time in the selected city, including daylight saving time.
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Discover your destiny!Tarot MagicTarot card readingsStart Reading ✦Frequently Asked Questions
When is the shortest day of the year?
In the Northern Hemisphere it falls around 21 December. In Vilnius on 21 December 2026 the day lasts about 7 hours 14 minutes.
What counts as sunrise?
The moment the upper edge of the sun appears on the horizon. The formula uses −0.833° to account for the sun's radius and atmospheric refraction.
What is solar noon?
The moment the sun is highest in the sky. It rarely falls at exactly 12:00 because of time zones, daylight saving time and the equation of time.
Why does the sun not rise in some places?
Above the polar circles the sun can stay below or above the horizon all day. In Tromsø this gives polar night in winter and the midnight sun in summer.