Where is the sun right now?
The compass shows where the sun ☀ and moon ☾ are in the sky right now. The closer a marker is to the middle, the higher it is; on the outer ring it is on the horizon or below it. The two thin lines show where the sun rose and where it will set today.
Reading the numbers
Bearing (or azimuth) is the compass direction, measured clockwise from true north: 90° is due east, 180° due south, 270° due west. Height (or altitude) is the angle above the horizon: 0° on the horizon, 90° straight overhead. A sun 30° up casts a shadow about 1.7 times as long as the object; at 45°, a shadow as long as the object.
The sun only rises due east and sets due west around the March and September equinoxes. In the northern summer it rises north of east and sets north of west, and the further you are from the equator, the bigger the swing — which is why summer evenings in northern Europe have sun coming in north-west windows.
Where the sun rises and sets on the solstices, 2026
Sunrise and sunset bearings (from true north) and the sun's height at solar noon, on the June solstice (21 June) and the December solstice (21 December).
| City | June: rise · set | December: rise · set |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | 57° · 302° noon height 73° | 121° · 239° noon height 26° |
| Los Angeles | 61° · 299° noon height 79° | 118° · 242° noon height 33° |
| Chicago | 57° · 303° noon height 72° | 121° · 239° noon height 25° |
| Toronto | 56° · 304° noon height 70° | 122° · 238° noon height 23° |
| Vancouver | 51° · 309° noon height 64° | 126° · 234° noon height 17° |
| Mexico City | 65° · 295° noon height 86° | 115° · 245° noon height 47° |
| São Paulo | 65° · 295° noon height 43° | 116° · 244° noon height 90° |
| London | 49° · 311° noon height 62° | 128° · 232° noon height 15° |
| Paris | 52° · 308° noon height 65° | 126° · 234° noon height 18° |
| Berlin | 48° · 312° noon height 61° | 129° · 231° noon height 14° |
| Lagos | 66° · 294° noon height 73° | 113° · 247° noon height 60° |
| Johannesburg | 64° · 296° noon height 40° | 117° · 243° noon height 87° |
| Dubai | 64° · 296° noon height 88° | 116° · 244° noon height 41° |
| Mumbai | 65° · 295° noon height 86° | 115° · 245° noon height 47° |
| Singapore | 67° · 293° noon height 68° | 113° · 247° noon height 65° |
| Hong Kong | 64° · 296° noon height 89° | 115° · 245° noon height 44° |
| Tokyo | 60° · 300° noon height 78° | 119° · 241° noon height 31° |
| Sydney | 62° · 298° noon height 33° | 119° · 241° noon height 80° |
| Auckland | 61° · 299° noon height 30° | 121° · 239° noon height 77° |
| Manila | 65° · 295° noon height 81° | 114° · 246° noon height 52° |
Who uses this
- Solar panels: panels do best facing the sun at noon — south in the northern hemisphere, north in the southern.
- Photography: to plan a sunset shot, check the setting direction before you go; see also golden hour times.
- Gardening and house hunting: how high the winter sun gets tells you how much light a garden or window will get.
- Finding your way: see how to find north with the sun.
Sun and moon positions: NOAA's solar equations and Meeus's lunar theory (Astronomical Algorithms), the same code as our sunrise and sunset times, checked against the US Naval Observatory. City locations: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Your location, if you share it, stays on your device.