Check today's sunrise and sunset for any city, and learn what golden hour, twilight, and solar noon really mean.
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🔍 Check My Sun Times →Sunrise is the moment the top edge of the sun first appears above the horizon, and sunset is the moment its top edge disappears below it. They sound simple, but there's a subtle twist: because Earth's atmosphere bends incoming light, the sun is actually still slightly below the true horizon at both moments. That bending, called refraction, lets you see the sun for a few extra minutes at each end of the day — so you're watching the sun before it has geometrically risen and after it has technically set.
Between sunrise and sunset is the period of daylight; the span from one sunrise to the next is the solar day. The exact clock times depend on where you are and the time of year, which is why your sun times differ from a friend's in another city.
| Term | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Sunrise | The sun's upper edge appears above the eastern horizon. |
| Golden hour | The hour after sunrise and before sunset, when light is soft, warm, and low — a favorite of photographers. |
| Solar noon | The moment the sun is highest in the sky — and when the UV index peaks, not necessarily when it's hottest. |
| Sunset | The sun's upper edge drops below the western horizon. |
| Twilight | The lingering light before sunrise and after sunset, as the sky gradually brightens or darkens. |
Earth's tilt: Our planet is tilted about 23.5°, so as it orbits the sun, each hemisphere leans toward or away from it — lengthening or shortening the days through the seasons. Latitude: The farther you are from the equator, the more dramatic the swing; near the poles, summer can bring 24 hours of daylight while the equator stays close to 12 hours year-round. Your position in the time zone: Two cities in the same zone can see noticeably different sun times if one sits on the eastern edge and the other on the western edge.
Sunrise and sunset shift with latitude and longitude. Check today's sun times for these popular cities:
Sunrise and sunset times are useful far beyond curiosity. Photographers plan shoots around golden hour, gardeners track daylight hours for their plants, runners and cyclists time outings for safety and visibility, and travelers use sunset to plan their evenings. Pair the sun times with the UV index and you'll know not just when the sun is up, but how strong it is — the two numbers together tell you the full story of your day outdoors.
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