What happens at the poles?

For part of the year the sun never rises or never sets, so the result states directly which of those two conditions applies instead of guessing at a time that does not actually exist.

How much can two nearby longitudes shift sunrise and sunset?

A one-degree shift in longitude at the same latitude moves both sunrise and sunset by roughly four minutes, since the earth rotates through 360 degrees in about 24 hours.

Sunrise / Sunset Calculator

Enter a date, latitude, longitude, and display zone. See sunrise and sunset, or a polar day/night notice if neither occurs.

Just need the total daylight length, not the exact times? See Daylight Duration Calculator.

Want to learn more?

Sunrise and Golden Hour Are Defined by Sun Angle

Worked example

At a high northern latitude, above roughly 66.5 degrees, on the June solstice, the sun never sets at all, a polar day condition reported directly with no sunset event returned. Check that same location six months later, near the December solstice, instead, and the opposite condition appears, a polar night with no sunrise event, since the same tilt that produced continuous daylight in June produces continuous darkness half a year later.

Common mistakes

Assuming the same date gives the same sunrise and sunset everywhere. Location, both latitude and longitude, matters just as much as the date itself.
Forgetting that a small longitude change alone shifts the result. Roughly four minutes of shift accrue for every degree of longitude at a fixed latitude.

Limitations

This is computed with the standard NOAA solar position equations, using a 90.833 degree zenith threshold that includes atmospheric refraction. It is an astronomical estimate only, not navigation, safety, religious-observance, or professional astronomy guidance.

Frequently asked questions

What happens at the poles?: For part of the year the sun never rises or never sets, so the result states directly which of those two conditions applies instead of guessing at a time that does not actually exist.
How much can two nearby longitudes shift sunrise and sunset?: A one-degree shift in longitude at the same latitude moves both sunrise and sunset by roughly four minutes, since the earth rotates through 360 degrees in about 24 hours.