Astronomical clock settings
Astronomical Clock (Sun, Moon, Sunrise, Sunset)
Live local time for the selected time zone, with sunrise and sunset plus a moon phase readout. Fullscreen supported.
How it works
This page is a focused astronomical clock that combines four things people usually check separately: live local time, a clear daylight or night label, sunrise and sunset for a chosen location, and a moon phase readout with an illumination estimate. It is built for quick decisions like “is it still twilight” or “when is sunset here,” not for deep astronomy charts.
The key idea is that the page becomes dramatically more useful once you provide coordinates. With coordinates, the sunrise and sunset times are computed for your spot, and the day or twilight status reflects the sun’s position at that spot. Without coordinates, the clock still runs and the moon phase still shows, but sun events cannot be calculated for “your location,” so you will see blanks for sunrise and sunset.
If you only want sunrise and sunset without the rest, use Sunrise Sunset Clock. If you only want the moon readout in a dedicated view, use Moon Phase Clock. If your job is comparing cities, use World Clock. For translating a meeting time across regions, use Time Zone Converter.
- 1) Choose a time zone if you are checking a place that is not your device’s zone.
- 2) Add a location using “Use my location,” a preset city, or manual latitude and longitude.
- 3) Read Sunrise and Sunset for today in the selected time zone.
- 4) Use the label at the top to see Daylight, Civil twilight, Nautical twilight, Astronomical twilight, or Night.
- 5) Press F to go fullscreen for a clean wall display.
This is meant to help you answer “right now” questions quickly: when does the sun set here, are we still in civil twilight, what phase is the moon, and what time is it in the selected zone. It is not a replacement for a detailed astronomy planner, and it is not a timer. If you need a hard end time for an activity, use Event Countdown or Countdown Timer.
- With coordinates: sunrise, sunset, and daylight or twilight status are computed for that location.
- Without coordinates: sunrise and sunset cannot be computed, so you will see blanks.
- Near polar regions, some days have no sunrise or no sunset at all.
Stay on this page when you want sun, moon, and time together. Use these when you want a single-purpose tool.
Real scenarios with example readings
The examples below show the type of values you will see on this page. Exact sunrise and sunset times depend on the date and your coordinates, but the workflow is the same: set a location, pick a time zone, then read the sun events and daylight or twilight label.
You are heading out after work and want to know if you will finish before it gets dark. Tap the Toronto preset (or use your location), then read the “Sunrise / Sunset” panel and the label at the top.
Example of what you might see: the label shows Daylight, sunset reads 17:43, and your current time reads 16:58:12. That gives you about 45 minutes until sunset. If you also see the label change to Civil twilight shortly after, that is your cue that it is getting noticeably dim.
You care less about the specific sunset minute and more about when the sky is truly dark. Set your location and watch the label. This page breaks nightfall into meaningful steps.
Example sequence you will see: after sunset, the label moves from Civil twilight to Nautical twilight, then to Astronomical twilight, then to Night. If the sun altitude line shows something like -13.2°, you are already in Astronomical twilight, which is typically when the sky starts to feel “properly dark” for many uses.
You are coordinating with someone in London and want to know if it is morning there, and whether they are already past sunset. Tap the London preset to load coordinates and the matching time zone. Now the time readout and sun events reflect London in one screen.
Example: you see 21:15:40 in London and the top label reads Night. That is a strong signal that you should not schedule something “end of day” unless it is urgent. If you need to convert a specific meeting time precisely, use Time Zone Converter.
You do not want to use browser location, but you have coordinates. Enter them into the Latitude and Longitude inputs. A common pattern is pasting something like 43.6532 and -79.3832or any equivalent values for your spot. Once set, sunrise and sunset populate.
Example: after entering coordinates, the page shows sunrise 07:18and sunset 17:52 in the selected time zone. If you change the time zone, the displayed day can change, and the sunrise and sunset values may shift accordingly because the calculation is done for that time zone’s local date.
Accuracy expectations and “why is it blank?”
If sunrise and sunset show “—”, it almost always means coordinates are not set. Tap “Use my location,” choose a preset, or enter latitude and longitude manually. If you are at very high latitudes, it can also be normal to have no sunrise or no sunset for a given date. In that case the page will report no event times, and the daylight or night label is the more useful signal.
Moon phase and illumination are designed to be practical. If you see “First Quarter” and illumination around “50%,” that is the kind of quick answer the page targets. For scheduling and coordination, the specific seconds do not matter as much as the phase and whether it is broadly bright or dark.
Reliability and privacy (short, practical)
- Keep the tab visible if you want the smoothest updating display.
- Background tabs can update less often due to browser throttling.
- Fullscreen may be restricted on some mobile browsers.
Coordinates are optional. If you use “Use my location,” your browser provides coordinates so the page can compute sun events. You can clear saved coordinates using “Clear location.” The page may store your chosen coordinates and time zone in your browser so your setup persists on the next visit.
Technical notes (sunrise/sunset method, twilight thresholds, moon phase)Read this if you want to understand the model and edge cases▼
Sunrise and sunset are computed with a compact NOAA-style approximation using a standard zenith value (90.833°). Results are calculated for the selected time zone’s local date and displayed in that time zone.
The label is derived from estimated solar altitude: Daylight > 0°, Civil 0° to −6°, Nautical −6° to −12°, Astronomical −12° to −18°, Night ≤ −18°.
The page uses the selected IANA time zone for display and derives the time zone offset for the current instant. Daylight Saving Time behavior depends on the browser’s time zone database.
Moon phase is computed from a synodic month length (29.530588853 days) using a fixed reference epoch. That produces a phase fraction mapped to the phase label and the illumination estimate shown on the page.
Keyboard shortcuts
Click the clock card once to focus it, then use the keyboard to control the display. Shortcuts only work when your cursor isn’t inside an input.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| F | Toggle fullscreen (after focusing the clock card) |
Common scenarios
Pick the right tool based on what you’re trying to do with sun, moon, and local time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this astronomical clock show?
Do I need to share my location?
How do I get sunrise and sunset times?
Why are sunrise and sunset showing “—”?
What does Daylight vs Civil/Nautical/Astronomical twilight mean?
Which time zone is used?
How accurate is the moon phase and illumination?
How do I use fullscreen mode?
Why can the display look less smooth sometimes?
Can I use this for different cities without sharing location?
Does it keep running if I close the tab?
Does this work offline?
Limits & notes
Add a location for sunrise/sunset • Polar regions can have no sunrise • Fullscreen needs a click • Background tabs can throttle
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Limits & notes
Add a location for sunrise/sunset • Polar regions can have no sunrise • Fullscreen needs a click • Background tabs can throttle
- Sunrise and sunset need coordinates. Use Use my location or enter latitude/longitude. Without coordinates, the clock still shows time, day or night labeling, and moon phase, but sunrise and sunset will stay blank.
- Polar regions may have no sunrise or sunset. Near the Arctic or Antarctic Circle, some dates have continuous daylight or continuous night. In those cases you may see no sunrise/sunset for that day.
- Time zone affects what “today” means. Sunrise/sunset is calculated for the selected time zone’s local date. If you switch time zones, the displayed events can shift because the date can shift too. For quick checks across zones, use Time Zone Converter.
- Daylight and twilight are based on sun altitude. The Daylight, Civil, Nautical, and Astronomical twilight labels come from the sun’s estimated altitude at your coordinates. Small differences are normal, especially around sunrise and sunset.
- Moon phase is an approximation. The phase label and illumination are based on a standard synodic month model. It is useful for a quick readout, but it is not a specialized ephemeris. If you want a dedicated view, try Moon Phase Clock.
- Fullscreen requires a user action. Browsers only allow fullscreen after a click or tap. If fullscreen doesn’t open, click the clock area and try again. Use Esc to exit.
- Background tabs can throttle updates. When the tab is not visible, browsers may reduce animation and timer frequency. The time stays correct, but the display may look less smooth when you return.
- Prefer a focused tool? For just sunrise and sunset, use Sunrise Sunset Clock. For world time, use World Clock.
Technical details▼
Sunrise and sunset use a compact NOAA-style approximation (zenith 90.833°). Results are formatted in the selected time zone and calculated for that zone’s local date.
Twilight categories are derived from estimated solar altitude: Daylight > 0°, Civil 0° to −6°, Nautical −6° to −12°, Astronomical −12° to −18°, Night ≤ −18°.
The clock uses the selected IANA time zone for display, and derives the time zone offset for the current instant. Daylight Saving Time is handled by the browser’s time zone database.
Moon phase uses a synodic month length of 29.530588853 days with a fixed reference epoch, producing a phase fraction that maps to the phase label and an approximate illumination value.