Sun position calculator

Worked example: the noon sun over Denver

At solar noon the sun is due south of Denver, and its elevation is 90° minus the difference between Denver's latitude and the sun's declination. On June 21, 2026 that gives 4,222.9°. On December 21 the sun is 1,538.8° high, a swing of 2,684.1°, about twice the tilt of the Earth's axis.

How to use it

1. Click the map or search a place. The tool starts at New York.
2. Read the sun's azimuth in degrees clockwise from true north and its elevation in degrees above the horizon.
3. Read the subsolar point, the latitude and longitude where the sun is overhead at this moment.
4. Reload the page to update all three for the current time.

Azimuth and elevation

Azimuth runs clockwise from true north: 90° is east, 180° is south, 270° is west. Elevation is the angle above the horizon; negative values mean the sun is below it. Together they say where to look, or where a shadow will fall: shadows point to the azimuth opposite the sun, and their length is the object's height divided by the tangent of the elevation.

The angles come from SunCalc and describe the sun's true position, without the small lift that refraction adds near the horizon.

The subsolar point

The subsolar point is where the sun is straight overhead. Its latitude equals the sun's declination, between about 23.44° N in June and 23.44° S in December. Its longitude moves west 15° every hour, adjusted by the equation of time. The tool computes both from NOAA's general solar position equations.

The day and night map draws the line where the sun is on the horizon, 90° from this point.

Uses

Sun angles help place solar panels, plan photos, and check whether a building will shade a garden. For a whole day of rise and set times, use the sunrise and sunset calculator. The values here are for the current moment, so reload to update them.

Working out shadow length

A shadow's length is the object's height divided by the tangent of the sun's elevation. At 45° a 10 foot fence casts a 10 foot shadow. At 30° it casts about 17 feet, and at 15° about 37 feet. Shadows point toward the azimuth opposite the sun, so an afternoon sun in the southwest throws shadows to the northeast.