Flight

Sunrise and sunset times

Pick a city and a date to see sunrise, sunset, first and last light, and how long the day is, all in local time.

London Heathrow Airport, LHR
Day length8h 22mSunrise to sunset in London, in local time.
Sunrise
8:00 AM
Sunset
4:22 PM
First light
7:22 AM
Last light
5:00 PM
Solar noon
12:11 PM

First and last light are civil twilight: the sun 6° below the horizon, light enough to be outside without a lamp.

Daylight through the year in London

On the 21st of each month, in local time.

MonthSunriseSunsetDay length
Jan7:54 AM4:31 PM8h 37m
Feb7:03 AM5:27 PM10h 24m
Mar6:01 AM6:16 PM12h 14m
Apr5:53 AM8:07 PM14h 15m
May5:01 AM8:55 PM15h 54m
Jun4:44 AM9:22 PM16h 38m
Jul5:10 AM9:06 PM15h 56m
Aug5:57 AM8:12 PM14h 15m
Sep6:46 AM7:03 PM12h 17m
Oct7:36 AM5:56 PM10h 20m
Nov7:29 AM4:05 PM8h 35m
Dec8:04 AM3:54 PM7h 50m

Day length depends on latitude

Near the equator, days are about twelve hours all year. Further from it, the seasons stretch and squeeze them:

CityLatitudeJune 21December 21
London51.5° N16h 38m7h 50m
New York40.6° N15h 5m9h 16m
Singapore1.4° N12h 12m12h 3m
Sydney33.9° S9h 53m14h 25m

Daylight and jet lag

Light is the strongest signal your body clock gets. After flying east, morning light helps it run earlier; after flying west, late-afternoon and evening light helps it run later. Look up when the sun rises and sets where you're going, and plan to be outside at the right end of the day. The jet lag calculator tells you which way your clock needs to move, and our guide to light and jet lag explains the timing.

Questions

How are sunrise and sunset worked out?

With the solar position equations the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses in its solar calculator: the sun's position for the date, the place's latitude and longitude, and the standard allowance for the atmosphere bending light near the horizon. Results are good to about a minute away from the polar regions.

Sunrise is when exactly?

The moment the top edge of the sun appears over a flat horizon. Hills, buildings and your height above the ground shift what you actually see by a few minutes.

What is civil twilight?

The time when the sun is less than 6° below the horizon: light enough to see outdoors without lights. First light is the start of morning civil twilight; last light is the end of evening twilight.

Why use an airport's location?

Every city in our list comes from its airport, which is usually a little outside the centre. Over a few tens of kilometres the times change by only a minute or so.

Further reading

  1. Light and jet lag: when to seek daylight, and when to hideLight moves your body clock, but timing is everything. How light shifts it earlier or later, why early sun can backfire after flying east, and a guide by trip.
  2. How to get over jet lag: a day-by-day planHow long jet lag lasts, and a day-by-day plan to beat it: shift before you go, switch to local time on board, and use light, sleep and meals when you land.
  3. Why jet lag is worse when you fly eastFlying east usually hits harder than flying west. Why your body clock prefers to run late, how long adjusting takes, and what actually helps.

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