daytics™
Allow location access for automatic results, or enter coordinates manually below.
daytics is free. Help keep it that way.
Built by one person. No sign-ups, no paywalls, no newsletter spam. If a tool saved you time, a coffee goes a long way.
About Sunrise & Sunset Times
Sunrise and sunset times vary throughout the year based on your latitude, longitude, and the Earth's axial tilt. Near the equator, day length stays relatively constant, while at higher latitudes the difference between summer and winter daylight hours can be dramatic. This has practical implications for energy consumption, outdoor work schedules, agricultural planning, and daily routines. Knowing the exact time of sunrise and sunset helps you make better decisions about when to exercise outdoors, when to schedule landscape photography sessions, and when to turn on exterior lighting.
Our tool uses the Open-Meteo API to fetch accurate sunrise and sunset data based on your exact coordinates. We also calculate the total day length and approximate golden hour times — useful for photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone planning their day around natural light. The results include both the morning and evening golden hour windows, so you can plan your activities to take advantage of the most visually appealing natural lighting conditions.
How to Use This Tool
- Allow location access — click "Use My Location" to let your browser share your coordinates. The tool will automatically detect your latitude and longitude and fetch the sunrise and sunset data for your current position.
- Or enter coordinates manually — if you prefer not to share your location, or if you want to look up times for a different place, type the latitude and longitude directly into the input fields. You can find coordinates for any location by searching for it on a mapping service.
- Select a date — the date picker defaults to today, but you can change it to any past or future date to see how sunrise and sunset times vary throughout the year.
- Click Look Up — the tool sends your coordinates and date to the Open-Meteo API and displays the results, including sunrise time, sunset time, total day length, and the morning and evening golden hour windows.
How It Works Behind the Scenes
When you provide your coordinates, the tool constructs a request to the Open-Meteo forecast API, passing your latitude, longitude, and the selected date. The API uses well-established astronomical algorithms to calculate the exact moment when the centre of the sun's disc crosses the horizon at your location. These calculations account for the Earth's axial tilt (approximately 23.4 degrees), its elliptical orbit around the sun, and atmospheric refraction, which bends sunlight and makes the sun appear to rise slightly earlier and set slightly later than it would in a vacuum.
The API also automatically determines your time zone based on your coordinates, so the results are displayed in local time. Once the sunrise and sunset times are received, the tool calculates the total day length by finding the difference between the two times, and estimates the golden hour periods as approximately one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset. While the actual golden hour depends on atmospheric conditions and the exact angle of the sun, this one-hour approximation is widely used and provides a reliable starting point for planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are the sunrise and sunset times?
Times are accurate to within one to two minutes for most locations worldwide. The data comes from the Open-Meteo API, which uses proven astronomical calculations based on your exact latitude and longitude. The calculations account for atmospheric refraction, which causes the sun to appear above the horizon slightly before it has physically risen. Accuracy may vary slightly at extreme latitudes or altitudes, but for the vast majority of populated areas the times are highly reliable.
Is my location data stored?
No. Your coordinates are sent directly from your browser to the Open-Meteo API over an encrypted HTTPS connection. Daytics does not store, log, or track your location in any way. The coordinates exist only in your browser's memory for the duration of the request and are not persisted to any database or analytics platform. Your privacy is fully protected.
What is the golden hour?
The golden hour is the period of time shortly after sunrise and before sunset when the sun is low on the horizon and sunlight travels through more of the atmosphere, producing a softer, warmer, and more diffused quality of light. This light is highly valued by photographers, filmmakers, and visual artists because it creates long shadows, warm tones, and a flattering glow on subjects. Our tool estimates the golden hour as approximately one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.
Can I check sunrise times for a different date?
Yes. Use the date picker to select any date — past or future — and the tool will show you the sunrise, sunset, and day length for that specific day at your coordinates. This is useful for planning events, travel, outdoor activities, or simply tracking how day length changes throughout the seasons at your location.
What is solar noon and why does it matter?
Solar noon is the moment when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky for a given location on a given day. It does not always occur at exactly 12:00 on your clock because time zones cover broad geographical areas and daylight saving time can shift clock time by an hour. Solar noon is relevant for solar panel positioning, sundial accuracy, and understanding the symmetry of daylight — sunrise and sunset are roughly equidistant from solar noon each day.
Why do sunrise and sunset times change throughout the year?
The Earth's axis is tilted at approximately 23.4 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the sun. This tilt causes the angle of sunlight to change as the Earth orbits, producing the seasons. During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, resulting in longer days and earlier sunrises. During winter, the opposite occurs. The closer you are to the poles, the more extreme these variations become, with areas above the Arctic Circle experiencing periods of continuous daylight or darkness.
