The sun always rises in the east, but the exact point shifts through the year. It rises due east only at the spring and autumn equinoxes, north of east from spring to autumn, and south of east from autumn to spring. Enter a location and date above to see the precise sunrise direction.

The sun sets in the west, mirroring sunrise. It sets due west at the equinoxes, north of west in summer, and south of west in winter. The calculator shows the exact sunset direction (azimuth) for any location and date.

No. Due east only happens on the two equinoxes (around 20 March and 22 September). The rest of the year the sunrise point swings north or south — by up to 30–40° depending on your latitude. The farther you are from the equator, the larger the swing.

Use the calculator above: search your city or tap “use my location”, pick a date and time, and the map overlays the sun's compass direction along with golden hour and blue hour times.

Azimuth is the sun's compass bearing, measured clockwise from north (0° = north, 90° = east, 180° = south, 270° = west). The sunrise and sunset directions shown by this tool are azimuth angles.

In the northern hemisphere summer, the sun rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest, giving long days. In winter it rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest, with short days. The southern hemisphere is reversed.