Sun position calculator

Pick any place on the map and any date and time, and the calculator shows the sun’s direction (azimuth) and height above the horizon (elevation) at that moment, plus where it rises and sets. It answers “where will the sun be, here, at this time?” — useful for planning photos, gardens, solar panels or which way a room faces.

Azimuth is the sun’s compass direction, measured in degrees clockwise from true north: 0° is north, 90° east, 180° south and 270° west. So an azimuth of 120° means the sun sits in the south-east. The calculator draws this direction as a ray from your point on the map.

Elevation, or altitude, is the sun’s angle above the horizon: 0° at the horizon and 90° directly overhead. It is highest at solar noon and negative when the sun is below the horizon. Elevation is what determines how long shadows are — the lower the sun, the longer the shadow.

Search for your location or drag the map, then read the sunrise and sunset azimuths. The sun only rises due east and sets due west at the equinoxes; in northern-hemisphere summer it rises north of east and sets north of west, and the opposite in winter. The calculator shows the exact bearings for your place and date.

Yes. Move the map to the spot, scrub the time across the day and watch the sun’s direction and elevation change to judge when a garden, balcony or window gets direct light. For true 3D shadows from buildings and terrain — where ridges and walls actually block the sun — use the SunCast app’s shadow map.

A table tells you when; a map tells you where. Seeing the sun’s direction drawn over real streets and terrain makes it obvious which way a building faces, whether a hill is in the way, or where light will fall at golden hour. For the full set of times in one place, use the Sun Times calculator instead.