Sun & Moon Times
Pick a city and date to get exact sunrise, sunset, golden hour, blue hour, the astronomical dark-sky window, the moon phase and moonrise/moonset — all in local time. Built for photographers and stargazers who need to plan the light.
Quick answer
Get sunrise, sunset, golden hour and moon phase in one place
Choose a city, pick any date and SkyClock calculates the full light plan: sunrise, sunset, civil/nautical/astronomical twilight, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, moon phase, moonrise and moonset. It is built for planning photos, stargazing and evening light windows, not for navigation or safety-critical decisions.
- Fastest use: open a city page, then change the date in the calculator.
- Best for clicks: city pages answer exact “sunrise/sunset/golden hour in city” intent.
- Moon calendars: use the separate annual USNO-backed moon phase pages.
Sun
| Astronomical dawn (first light) | 04:49 |
| Nautical dawn | 05:31 |
| Civil dawn | 06:10 |
| Blue hour (morning) | 06:10 – 06:44 |
| Sunrise | 06:44 |
| Golden hour (morning) | 06:44 – 07:28 |
| Solar noon (Sun highest) | 12:55 |
| Golden hour (evening) | 18:22 – 19:06 |
| Sunset | 19:06 |
| Blue hour (evening) | 19:06 – 19:40 |
| Civil dusk | 19:40 |
| Nautical dusk | 20:19 |
| Astronomical dusk (last light) | 21:01 |
Moon
| Moonrise | 16:45 |
| Moonset | 00:14 |
| Illumination | 65% |
| Distance from Earth | 405,128 km |
Upcoming moon phases
| 🌑 New Moon | Sat, 10 Oct 2026, 16:26 |
| 🌓 First Quarter | Sun, 18 Oct 2026, 15:34 |
| 🌕 Full Moon | Sat, 26 Sept 2026, 22:33 |
| 🌗 Last Quarter | Sat, 03 Oct 2026, 15:13 |
Computed with SkyClock's own ephemeris (standard astronomical formulae). Times in the selected city's local time.
Moon phase calendars
Full moon and new moon dates, 2026–2050 Official USNO dates and exact Universal Time for every primary lunar phase, grouped into annual calendars.Equinox and solstice dates
Exact equinox, solstice, perihelion and aphelion times A bounded five-year USNO-backed reference archive with exact Universal Time for every seasonal turning point.Solar eclipse dates
Solar eclipses by year, type and visibility A bounded NASA/GSFC-backed annual reference with dates, Saros series, magnitude, duration, maps and eye-safety guidance.Lunar eclipse dates
Lunar eclipses by year, type and visibility A separate NASA/GSFC-backed annual reference with dates, Saros series, umbral magnitude, durations and source diagrams.Astronomy calculators
12 telescope, camera, coordinate and time tools Magnification, field of view, exit pupil, image scale, angular separation, Julian dates and other transparent formula-based calculations.Choose a city
What SkyClock computes
Every city page is a full ephemeris for the date you choose, not a one-line sunrise time:
- Twilight ladder — astronomical, nautical and civil dawn & dusk, so you know exactly when the sky starts and stops being usable.
- Golden & blue hour — the morning and evening windows, to the minute, for photography.
- Dark-sky window — how long the Sun stays below 18°, the true-dark period for stargazing and astrophotography (and a clear flag when there is none).
- Moon — phase, illuminated percentage, moonrise, moonset and distance, plus the next new, first-quarter, full and last-quarter dates.
FAQ
What is the golden hour?
The golden hour is the period soon after sunrise and before sunset when the Sun sits low (roughly 0° to 6° above the horizon) and light is warm, soft and directional. SkyClock gives the exact morning and evening golden-hour windows for your city and date.
What is the blue hour?
The blue hour is the twilight period when the Sun is between about 0° and 6° below the horizon — before sunrise and after sunset — when the sky turns deep blue. It falls between sunset and civil dusk (and between civil dawn and sunrise).
What is astronomical twilight and true darkness?
Astronomical twilight is when the Sun is 12°–18° below the horizon; once it drops past 18° the sky is fully dark, which matters for stargazing and astrophotography. SkyClock reports the length of that dark-sky window for each night — and tells you when there is no true darkness at all (as happens near the poles in summer).
How is the moon phase calculated?
SkyClock computes the Sun–Moon elongation for the chosen date to derive the illuminated fraction and phase (new, waxing, first quarter, full, and so on), plus the dates of the next new and full moon. A bright moon washes out faint stars, so the illumination figure is the quickest read on whether a night is good for deep-sky viewing.
Are the times exact?
They are computed from standard astronomical formulae — accurate to about a minute for the Sun and a few minutes for the Moon, shown in each city’s local time with daylight saving handled automatically. Good for planning; not intended for navigation or safety-critical use.