World Day Night Map Live – See Where It's Day or Night Now

The world day night map shows in real time which parts of the Earth are currently in daylight and which are in darkness. As our planet rotates, half of the globe is illuminated by the Sun while the other half experiences night. This live map allows you to instantly see where it's night right now, which countries are in daylight, and how the boundary between light and shadow moves across the planet.

The moving line that separates day from night is called the terminator line. It continuously shifts westward as the Earth rotates, completing a full cycle every 24 hours. Because the Earth is tilted on its axis, the position of the terminator line changes throughout the year, causing seasonal differences in daylight duration between northern and southern latitudes.

This real-time Earth sunlight map also highlights major cities and shows their local daylight status, sunrise and sunset times, and current solar position. You can observe which cities are experiencing sunrise, which are approaching sunset, and where the Sun is directly overhead at the subsolar point.

Whether you are tracking global daylight patterns, planning international calls, studying Earth's rotation, or simply curious about which regions are in darkness, this live day and night map provides an accurate and continuously updated visualization of global sunlight conditions today.

🌅 Sunrise happening now in Tehran 05:29 🌇 Sunset in 19 min in Tijuana 18:59 ☀️ Longest daylight today Helsinki 14h40 🌙 Deep night Kinshasa 02:59

Sun at zenithOver the ocean9.2N, 150.2E

Legend Day Night, most people still awake Night Day/night boundary Sun at zenith

Live map

Today, April 15, among the 301 cities listed on this page, the city with the longest daylight is Helsinki (Finland) with 14h40 of sunlight. The city with the shortest daylight is Melbourne (Australia) with only 11h10. That is a difference of 3h30 between the two extremes, reflecting the dramatic effect of latitude and Earth's axial tilt on daylight duration. In April, Earth approaches the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (autumn in the south). Daylight hours are nearly equal worldwide, though differences grow as we move away from the equator. Both hemispheres experience moderate daylight, making this a transitional period.

Sunrise Soon (13)

These cities are currently experiencing civil twilight before sunrise. The sky is brightening, and sunrise will occur within the next few minutes. Civil twilight begins when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon.

City	Country	Local Time (approx.)	Sunrise	Sunset	Day Length
Tehran	Iran	05:29	05:30	18:38	13h08	Sunrise in 1 min
Baku	Azerbaijan	05:59	06:00	19:20	13h20	Sunrise in 1 min
Isfahan	Iran	05:29	05:32	18:34	13h02	Sunrise in 3 min
Doha	Qatar	04:59	05:10	17:57	12h47	Sunrise in 11 min
Dammam	Saudi Arabia	04:59	05:14	18:04	12h50	Sunrise in 15 min
Ahvaz	Iran	05:29	05:45	18:44	12h59	Sunrise in 16 min
Tbilisi	Georgia	05:59	06:19	19:42	13h23	Sunrise in 20 min
Kermanshah	Iran	05:29	05:49	18:54	13h05	Sunrise in 20 min
Kuwait City	Kuwait	04:59	05:20	18:15	12h55	Sunrise in 21 min
Basra	Iraq	04:59	05:20	18:17	12h57	Sunrise in 21 min
Moscow Capital	Russia	04:59	05:22	19:36	14h15	Sunrise in 23 min
Yerevan	Armenia	05:59	06:22	19:41	13h19	Sunrise in 23 min
Saint Petersburg	Russia	04:59	05:39	20:18	14h38	Sunrise in 40 min

Cities Where It's Day (81)

The sun is currently above the horizon in these cities. Depending on their latitude and the time of year, the length of daylight can vary significantly from one city to another.

City	Country	Local Time (approx.)	Sunrise	Sunset	Day Length
Dubai	United Arab Emirates	05:59	05:55	18:42	12h47
Muscat	Oman	05:59	05:43	18:27	12h44
Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	05:59	05:59	18:45	12h46
Sharjah	United Arab Emirates	05:59	05:54	18:42	12h48
Al Ain	United Arab Emirates	05:59	05:54	18:39	12h46
Kabul Capital	Afghanistan	06:29	05:20	18:26	13h06
Kandahar	Afghanistan	06:29	05:37	18:36	12h59
Herat	Afghanistan	06:29	05:48	18:53	13h05
Lahore	Pakistan	06:59	05:33	18:32	12h59
Tashkent	Uzbekistan	06:59	05:41	19:03	13h22
Almaty	Kazakhstan	06:59	05:08	18:36	13h27
Ashgabat	Turkmenistan	06:59	06:29	19:43	13h13
Dushanbe	Tajikistan	06:59	05:47	19:02	13h15
Faisalabad	Pakistan	06:59	05:38	18:37	12h59
Shymkent	Kazakhstan	06:59	05:39	19:03	13h25
Namangan	Uzbekistan	06:59	05:32	18:53	13h21
Rawalpindi	Pakistan	06:59	05:36	18:39	13h04
Astana	Kazakhstan	06:59	05:17	19:11	13h54
Andijan	Uzbekistan	06:59	05:30	18:50	13h21
Gujranwala	Pakistan	06:59	05:33	18:33	13h00
Yekaterinburg	Russia	06:59	05:47	20:07	14h20
Delhi Capital	India	07:29	05:54	18:48	12h54
Colombo	Sri Lanka	07:29	06:01	18:19	12h19
Mumbai	India	07:29	06:20	18:57	12h37
Bengaluru	India	07:29	06:06	18:33	12h27
Hyderabad	India	07:29	05:59	18:33	12h34
Kathmandu	Nepal	07:44	05:37	18:29	12h52
Lalitpur	Nepal	07:44	05:37	18:29	12h52
Dhaka Capital	Bangladesh	07:59	05:36	18:20	12h45
Bishkek	Kyrgyzstan	07:59	06:18	19:44	13h26
Chittagong	Bangladesh	07:59	05:31	18:13	12h42
Khulna	Bangladesh	07:59	05:40	18:23	12h43
Yangon	Myanmar	08:29	05:48	18:22	12h33
Mandalay	Myanmar	08:29	05:44	18:26	12h42
Naypyidaw	Myanmar	08:29	05:46	18:24	12h38
Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	08:59	05:41	18:05	12h24
Jakarta Capital	Indonesia	08:59	05:52	17:53	12h00
Bangkok	Thailand	08:59	06:03	18:32	12h29
Phnom Penh	Cambodia	08:59	05:47	18:13	12h25
Hanoi	Vietnam	08:59	05:36	18:16	12h40
Chiang Mai	Thailand	08:59	06:06	18:42	12h36
Pekanbaru	Indonesia	08:59	06:09	18:19	12h10
Cần Thơ	Vietnam	08:59	05:46	18:09	12h23
Novosibirsk	Russia	08:59	06:23	20:33	14h10
Bandar Lampung	Indonesia	08:59	05:58	17:59	12h01
Haiphong	Vietnam	08:59	05:33	18:13	12h40
Chengdu	China	09:59	06:35	19:32	12h57
Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	09:59	07:06	19:19	12h13
Singapore	Singapore	09:59	06:59	19:10	12h11
New Taipei	Taiwan	09:59	05:30	18:17	12h47
Quezon City	Philippines	09:59	05:41	18:10	12h30
Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia	09:59	06:01	19:43	13h42
Guangzhou	China	09:59	06:05	18:48	12h43
Taichung	Taiwan	09:59	05:34	18:19	12h45
Manila	Philippines	09:59	05:41	18:11	12h30
Klang	Malaysia	09:59	07:07	19:20	12h13
Shanghai	China	09:59	05:25	18:23	12h58
Kaohsiung	Taiwan	09:59	05:37	18:20	12h43
Davao City	Philippines	09:59	05:28	17:47	12h19
Ipoh	Malaysia	09:59	07:08	19:23	12h15
Beijing Capital	China	09:59	05:35	18:53	13h18
Taipei	Taiwan	09:59	05:30	18:17	12h47
Perth	Australia	09:59	06:36	17:57	11h21
Caloocan	Philippines	09:59	05:41	18:11	12h30
Johor Bahru	Malaysia	09:59	06:59	19:10	12h11
Tokyo Capital	Japan	10:59	05:07	18:15	13h08
Seoul Capital	South Korea	10:59	05:56	19:08	13h12
Pyongyang	North Korea	10:59	05:59	19:14	13h16
Yokohama	Japan	10:59	05:07	18:15	13h07
Busan	South Korea	10:59	05:50	18:57	13h07
Hamhung	North Korea	10:59	05:51	19:09	13h18
Incheon	South Korea	10:59	05:57	19:09	13h12
Osaka	Japan	10:59	05:25	18:30	13h06
Chongjin	North Korea	10:59	05:39	19:02	13h23
Daegu	South Korea	10:59	05:51	18:59	13h08
Nagoya	Japan	10:59	05:19	18:25	13h07
Melbourne	Australia	11:59	06:45	17:55	11h10
Sydney	Australia	11:59	06:16	17:34	11h18
Brisbane	Australia	11:59	06:03	17:32	11h29
Auckland	New Zealand	13:59	06:44	17:57	11h12
Calgary	Canada	19:59	06:40	20:32	13h51

Sunset Soon (2)

The sun is still above the horizon in these cities but will set within the next 30 minutes. Enjoy the golden hour!

City	Country	Local Time (approx.)	Sunrise	Sunset	Day Length
Tijuana	Mexico	18:59	06:18	19:18	13h00	Sunset in 19 min
Los Angeles	United States	18:59	06:21	19:24	13h04	Sunset in 25 min

Just After Sunset (0)

These cities have just seen the sun set and are in civil twilight. There is still enough natural light for outdoor activities, but the sky is darkening rapidly. Civil twilight ends when the sun drops 6 degrees below the horizon.

No cities in this category right now.

Cities Where It's Night (205)

It is currently nighttime in these cities. The sun has fully set and civil twilight has ended, meaning the sky is dark. Depending on the time of year and latitude, some cities experience very long or very short nights.

City	Country	Local Time (approx.)	Sunrise	Sunset	Day Length
Abidjan	Ivory Coast	01:59	06:07	18:24	12h16
Bamako	Mali	01:59	06:18	18:45	12h27
Kumasi	Ghana	01:59	05:57	18:15	12h18
Ouagadougou	Burkina Faso	01:59	05:52	18:19	12h27
Lomé	Togo	01:59	05:46	18:03	12h18
Conakry	Guinea	01:59	06:43	19:06	12h22
Dakar	Senegal	01:59	06:54	19:24	12h30
Nouakchott	Mauritania	01:59	06:46	19:21	12h36
Monrovia	Liberia	01:59	06:34	18:52	12h18
Freetown	Sierra Leone	01:59	06:42	19:03	12h21
Tamale	Ghana	01:59	05:52	18:14	12h22
Pikine	Senegal	01:59	06:54	19:24	12h30
Bobo-Dioulasso	Burkina Faso	01:59	06:04	18:29	12h25
Bouaké	Ivory Coast	01:59	06:10	18:30	12h20
Accra	Ghana	01:59	05:52	18:09	12h17
Touba	Senegal	01:59	06:48	19:18	12h30
Kinshasa	Democratic Republic of the Congo	02:59	05:57	18:00	12h03
Lagos	Nigeria	02:59	06:37	18:55	12h18
London Capital	United Kingdom	02:59	06:02	19:58	13h56
Casablanca	Morocco	02:59	06:58	20:02	13h04
Douala	Cameroon	02:59	06:13	18:28	12h15
Luanda	Angola	02:59	06:08	18:05	11h57
Algiers Capital	Algeria	02:59	06:12	19:23	13h11
Brazzaville	Republic of the Congo	02:59	05:57	18:00	12h03
Niamey	Niger	02:59	06:37	19:05	12h28
N'Djamena	Chad	02:59	05:46	18:12	12h26
Libreville	Gabon	02:59	06:17	18:26	12h09
Bangui	Central African Republic	02:59	05:38	17:53	12h15
Tunis	Tunisia	02:59	05:43	18:54	13h11
Lisbon Capital	Portugal	02:59	06:58	20:14	13h16
Dublin	Ireland	02:59	06:23	20:26	14h04
Kano	Nigeria	02:59	06:12	18:39	12h26
Yaoundé	Cameroon	02:59	06:06	18:21	12h14
Pointe-Noire	Republic of the Congo	02:59	06:11	18:13	12h02
Tangier	Morocco	02:59	06:48	19:57	13h09
Birmingham	United Kingdom	02:59	06:07	20:07	14h00
Lubango	Angola	02:59	06:12	18:00	11h48
Oran	Algeria	02:59	06:28	19:36	13h09
Dublin City	Ireland	02:59	06:23	20:26	14h04
Port Harcourt	Nigeria	02:59	06:24	18:39	12h16
Kananga	Democratic Republic of the Congo	02:59	05:30	17:30	12h01
Garoua	Cameroon	02:59	05:55	18:17	12h22
Fez	Morocco	02:59	06:47	19:52	13h05
Huambo	Angola	02:59	06:01	17:52	11h51
Glasgow	United Kingdom	02:59	06:09	20:24	14h16
Ibadan	Nigeria	02:59	06:34	18:54	12h19
Marrakesh	Morocco	02:59	07:02	20:01	13h00
Cabinda	Angola	02:59	06:10	18:11	12h01
Cairo Capital	Egypt	03:59	05:26	18:23	12h56
Khartoum	Sudan	03:59	05:34	18:05	12h31
Johannesburg	South Africa	03:59	06:22	17:53	11h31
Berlin Capital	Germany	03:59	06:06	20:06	14h00
Madrid Capital	Spain	03:59	07:34	20:54	13h20
Rome Capital	Italy	03:59	06:28	19:52	13h24
Lusaka	Zambia	03:59	06:13	18:00	11h47
Harare	Zimbabwe	03:59	06:03	17:47	11h44
Vienna Capital	Austria	03:59	06:02	19:46	13h43
Paris Capital	France	03:59	06:57	20:43	13h46
Katowice urban area	Poland	03:59	05:48	19:39	13h51
Kigali	Rwanda	03:59	05:56	18:02	12h06
Budapest	Hungary	03:59	05:53	19:34	13h41
City of Belgrade	Serbia	03:59	05:52	19:24	13h32
Prague	Czech Republic	03:59	06:07	19:57	13h50
Tripoli	Libya	03:59	06:36	19:38	13h02
Brussels-Capital Region	Belgium	03:59	06:46	20:39	13h53
Maputo	Mozambique	03:59	06:04	17:35	11h31
Lilongwe	Malawi	03:59	05:50	17:39	11h49
Stockholm	Sweden	03:59	05:30	20:05	14h35
Amsterdam Capital	Netherlands	03:59	06:40	20:40	13h59
Zagreb	Croatia	03:59	06:08	19:43	13h35
Oslo	Norway	03:59	05:57	20:36	14h39
Copenhagen	Denmark	03:59	06:02	20:16	14h14
Bujumbura	Burundi	03:59	06:00	18:04	12h04
Juba	South Sudan	03:59	05:45	18:01	12h16
Alexandria	Egypt	03:59	05:31	18:29	12h59
Cape Town	South Africa	03:59	07:07	18:24	11h17
Mbuji-Mayi	Democratic Republic of the Congo	03:59	06:25	18:25	12h00
Omdurman	Sudan	03:59	05:34	18:06	12h32
Hamburg	Germany	03:59	06:17	20:22	14h04
Warsaw	Poland	03:59	05:36	19:35	13h59
Barcelona	Spain	03:59	07:10	20:32	13h23
Masvingo	Zimbabwe	03:59	06:06	17:46	11h40
Milan	Italy	03:59	06:36	20:10	13h34
Belgrade	Serbia	03:59	05:52	19:24	13h32
Matola	Mozambique	03:59	06:04	17:35	11h31
Marseille	France	03:59	06:54	20:22	13h28
Blantyre	Malawi	03:59	05:46	17:33	11h47
Rotterdam	Netherlands	03:59	06:43	20:40	13h58
Gothenburg	Sweden	03:59	05:59	20:24	14h25
Benghazi	Libya	03:59	06:09	19:10	13h01
Kitwe	Zambia	03:59	06:11	18:02	11h51
Antwerp	Belgium	03:59	06:45	20:39	13h55
Giza	Egypt	03:59	05:27	18:23	12h56
Munich	Germany	03:59	06:22	20:05	13h43
Soweto	South Africa	03:59	06:23	17:53	11h31
Khartoum North	Sudan	03:59	05:33	18:05	12h32
Naples	Italy	03:59	06:22	19:43	13h21
Kraków	Poland	03:59	05:45	19:35	13h50
Valencia	Spain	03:59	07:22	20:40	13h18
Nampula	Mozambique	03:59	05:29	17:16	11h48
Bulawayo	Zimbabwe	03:59	06:15	17:55	11h40
The Hague	Netherlands	03:59	06:43	20:41	13h58
Ndola	Zambia	03:59	06:10	18:00	11h51
Toulouse	France	03:59	07:09	20:38	13h29
Lubumbashi	Democratic Republic of the Congo	03:59	06:13	18:06	11h53
New Cairo	Egypt	03:59	05:25	18:22	12h56
Cologne	Germany	03:59	06:35	20:28	13h54
Turin	Italy	03:59	06:42	20:15	13h33
Pretoria	South Africa	03:59	06:21	17:53	11h32
Zaragoza	Spain	03:59	07:21	20:45	13h23
Geneva	Switzerland	03:59	06:47	20:23	13h37
Istanbul	Turkey	04:59	06:23	19:44	13h21
Baghdad	Iraq	04:59	05:31	18:34	13h03
Riyadh	Saudi Arabia	04:59	05:30	18:16	12h46
Addis Ababa	Ethiopia	04:59	06:14	18:35	12h22
Nairobi	Kenya	04:59	06:29	18:36	12h07
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	04:59	06:23	18:22	12h00
Amman	Jordan	04:59	06:06	19:06	13h00
Sanaa	Yemen	04:59	05:47	18:18	12h31
Kyiv	Ukraine	04:59	06:02	19:53	13h51
Damascus	Syria	04:59	06:03	19:06	13h04
Waqooyi-Bari	Somalia	04:59	05:35	17:57	12h22
Minsk	Belarus	04:59	06:06	20:12	14h06
Bucharest	Romania	04:59	06:30	20:01	13h31
Kampala	Uganda	04:59	06:45	18:54	12h09
Antananarivo	Madagascar	04:59	05:58	17:41	11h42
Sofia	Bulgaria	04:59	06:43	20:09	13h26
Asmara	Eritrea	04:59	06:08	18:39	12h31
Jerusalem	Israel	04:59	06:09	19:09	13h00
Helsinki	Finland	04:59	06:00	20:40	14h40
Athens	Greece	04:59	06:48	20:02	13h14
Djibouti City	Djibouti	04:59	05:54	18:20	12h25
Riga	Latvia	04:59	06:13	20:34	14h21
Gaza City	Palestine	04:59	06:12	19:11	12h59
Vilnius	Lithuania	04:59	06:14	20:23	14h09
Chișinău	Moldova	04:59	06:15	19:54	13h39
Ankara	Turkey	04:59	06:09	19:27	13h19
Jeddah	Saudi Arabia	04:59	06:02	18:43	12h41
Mogadishu	Somalia	04:59	05:52	18:04	12h12
Aleppo	Syria	04:59	05:56	19:06	13h10
Irbid	Jordan	04:59	06:05	19:07	13h02
Mosul	Iraq	04:59	05:32	18:42	13h10
Kharkiv	Ukraine	04:59	05:40	19:29	13h50
Mombasa	Kenya	04:59	06:19	18:23	12h03
Aden	Yemen	04:59	05:46	18:13	12h27
Zanzibar City	Tanzania	04:59	06:23	18:23	12h00
Mbale City	Uganda	04:59	06:38	18:48	12h10
Wolaita Sodo	Ethiopia	04:59	06:19	18:38	12h19
Gomel	Belarus	04:59	05:56	19:55	13h59
İzmir	Turkey	04:59	06:34	19:48	13h15
Medina	Saudi Arabia	04:59	05:58	18:44	12h46
Odesa	Ukraine	04:59	06:08	19:45	13h37
Homs	Syria	04:59	06:00	19:06	13h06
Mwanza	Tanzania	04:59	06:45	18:51	12h05
Al Hudaydah	Yemen	04:59	05:53	18:23	12h30
Bursa	Turkey	04:59	06:24	19:43	13h19
Kirkuk	Iraq	04:59	05:28	18:36	13h08
Dnipro	Ukraine	04:59	05:47	19:31	13h44
Latakia	Syria	04:59	06:02	19:10	13h08
Mexico City Capital	Mexico	19:59	06:18	18:55	12h37
Tegucigalpa	Honduras	19:59	05:34	18:03	12h29
Guatemala City	Guatemala	19:59	05:47	18:17	12h30
Managua	Nicaragua	19:59	05:32	17:58	12h26
San Pedro Sula	Honduras	19:59	05:36	18:07	12h31
Mixco	Guatemala	19:59	05:47	18:17	12h30
León de Los Aldama	Mexico	19:59	06:27	19:06	12h40
Puebla City	Mexico	19:59	06:14	18:51	12h36
Lima Capital	Peru	20:59	06:12	18:04	11h53
Bogotá	Colombia	20:59	05:48	18:04	12h15
Guayaquil	Ecuador	20:59	06:16	18:22	12h06
Kingston Capital	Jamaica	20:59	05:50	18:24	12h35
Medellín	Colombia	20:59	05:53	18:11	12h17
Quito	Ecuador	20:59	06:09	18:18	12h09
Arequipa	Peru	20:59	05:53	17:39	11h47
Chicago	United States	20:59	06:09	19:31	13h22
Cali	Colombia	20:59	05:59	18:13	12h14
Trujillo	Peru	20:59	06:17	18:15	11h58
Barranquilla	Colombia	20:59	05:47	18:11	12h24
New York City	United States	21:59	06:16	19:35	13h19
Santiago Capital	Chile	21:59	07:03	18:22	11h20
Santa Cruz de la Sierra	Bolivia	21:59	06:20	18:05	11h45
Toronto	Canada	21:59	06:34	20:01	13h27
Havana	Cuba	21:59	07:08	19:51	12h43
Caracas	Venezuela	21:59	06:16	18:39	12h23
Santo Domingo	Dominican Republic	21:59	06:22	18:57	12h35
Port-au-Prince	Haiti	21:59	06:31	19:07	12h35
Montreal	Canada	21:59	06:08	19:40	13h32
Maracaibo	Venezuela	21:59	06:34	18:58	12h24
Santiago de los Caballeros	Dominican Republic	21:59	06:24	19:01	12h37
El Alto	Bolivia	21:59	06:39	18:26	11h46
Puente Alto	Chile	21:59	07:02	18:22	11h19
Carrefour	Haiti	21:59	06:32	19:07	12h35
Valencia	Venezuela	21:59	06:20	18:43	12h23
La Paz	Bolivia	21:59	06:39	18:25	11h46
Houston	United States	21:59	07:54	20:49	12h55
Maracay	Venezuela	21:59	06:19	18:42	12h23
Ottawa Capital	Canada	21:59	06:17	19:48	13h32
São Paulo	Brazil	22:59	06:18	17:54	11h36
Buenos Aires Capital	Argentina	22:59	07:15	18:32	11h17
Montevideo	Uruguay	22:59	07:06	18:23	11h17
Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	22:59	06:04	17:41	11h37
Córdoba	Argentina	22:59	07:35	18:58	11h23
Brasília Capital	Brazil	22:59	06:18	18:05	11h47
Rosario	Argentina	22:59	07:22	18:43	11h20
Fortaleza	Brazil	22:59	05:32	17:36	12h04

Understanding the World Day and Night Map

The world day and night map shows which parts of the Earth are currently in daylight and which are in darkness. The moving boundary between light and shadow is known as the terminator line. This line constantly shifts as the Earth rotates, completing a full cycle every 24 hours.

Because the Earth is tilted at approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis, the distribution of daylight is not the same throughout the year. Around the equinoxes (March and September), day and night are nearly equal worldwide. However, near the summer and winter solstices, daylight hours vary significantly depending on latitude.

Why does latitude affect daylight?

Cities located near the equator experience almost equal day and night all year long. For example, cities like Singapore or Quito have roughly 12 hours of daylight daily.

In contrast, cities at higher latitudes experience strong seasonal variation. In June, northern cities such as Stockholm, Oslo, or Edmonton enjoy very long evenings, sometimes with sunlight lasting close to midnight. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun may not set at all — a phenomenon known as the midnight sun.

During winter, the opposite occurs. Some northern cities experience extremely short days, and regions above the Arctic Circle can enter polar night, when the sun does not rise for days or even weeks.

What determines sunrise and sunset times?

Sunrise and sunset depend on:

Latitude
Longitude
Date of the year
Earth's axial tilt
Atmospheric refraction

This map calculates daylight conditions for major cities in real time using astronomical formulas. Each city is classified as:

Day – Sun above the horizon
Night – Sun below the horizon
Dawn – Civil twilight before sunrise
Dusk – Civil twilight after sunset

Why daylight duration matters

Daylight duration influences climate, daily routines, tourism, and even mental health. Long summer evenings encourage outdoor activities in northern cities, while shorter winter days can affect energy use and lifestyle patterns.

Understanding global daylight patterns is useful for:

Planning international calls
Scheduling travel
Studying seasonal variations
Comparing cities by latitude
Exploring time zone differences

How does this map work?

The day/night boundary (called the terminator) is drawn using the Leaflet.Terminator library, which computes the solar position in real time based on the current date, time, and Earth's axial tilt. For each city, sunrise and sunset times are calculated server-side using PHP's date_sun_info() function with the city's geographic coordinates. Cities are classified as Day, Night, Dawn (civil twilight before sunrise), or Dusk (civil twilight after sunset).

What is the subsolar point?

The subsolar point (marked with a sun icon on the map) is the exact location on Earth where the sun is directly overhead — at its zenith, 90 degrees above the horizon. At this point, objects cast no shadow.

This point moves continuously: its longitude follows the sun's apparent westward motion (completing a full circle every 24 hours), while its latitude oscillates between 23.5°N and 23.5°S throughout the year, following the sun's declination.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is it night right now in the world?

Night currently covers approximately half of the Earth at any given moment. The exact regions in darkness depend on the Earth's rotation and the current UTC time.

Why are summer days longer in northern cities?

Northern cities experience longer summer days because the Earth's axial tilt causes the Northern Hemisphere to lean toward the Sun around June, increasing daylight hours.

Which cities have the longest daylight in June?

Cities located far north, such as Reykjavik, Tromsø, and Anchorage, experience extremely long daylight hours near the summer solstice.

Do cities near the equator have equal day and night?

Yes. Cities close to the equator experience nearly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness throughout the year.

What is the sun icon on the map?

The sun icon marks the subsolar point — the exact spot on Earth where the sun is directly overhead (at its zenith). This point moves westward as the Earth rotates and shifts north or south with the seasons.