Sunrise & Sunset — Times for Any City

Get precise sunrise and sunset for any location and date, along with daylight duration and Brahma Muhurta. Used as the anchor for Vedic panchang, muhurat timing, fasting, prayer and astrological computation.

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2026-09-29

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Why sunrise and sunset matter in Panchang

In the Vedic calendar, sunrise and sunset aren't just daily events to note — they are the foundation the entire day's Panchang is built on. Unlike the modern civil day, which starts and ends at midnight, the traditional Hindu day is measured from one sunrise to the next. Almost every timing calculation in Vedic astrology — from which tithi is "today's" to when Rahu Kaal falls — starts by locating the exact moment the Sun crosses the horizon at your location.

Sunset carries similar weight: it marks the end of daytime muhurta calculations and the start of the night-time cycle used by systems like Choghadiya. Getting these two moments right, for your specific place and date, is what makes every other panchang calculation accurate.

How sunrise and sunset are used — step by step

Enter your date and location. The calculator above computes the exact sunrise and sunset for that day and place using your coordinates and time zone.
The tithi (lunar day) "as of sunrise" is taken as the tithi for the whole day in most Panchang conventions, even if the tithi technically changes partway through — this is why panchang references are usually pinned to a sunrise-based date.
The daylight span (sunrise to sunset) is divided into 8 equal parts to compute Rahu Kaal and other similar inauspicious/auspicious windows tied to the weekday.
Both daytime and night-time (sunset to next sunrise) are each divided into 8 parts for Choghadiya and Gowri Panchangam slots.
Solar noon — the exact midpoint between sunrise and sunset — anchors Abhijit Muhurat, and sunrise itself starts the daily Hora cycle.

Why sunrise and sunset times change by location

Longitude — cities further east see the Sun rise earlier in clock time within the same time zone; this is why sunrise in Kolkata is noticeably earlier than in Mumbai despite both being in Indian Standard Time.

Latitude — cities further from the equator have more extreme seasonal swings in day length; a city near the Tropic of Cancer sees a bigger gap between its longest and shortest day than one near the equator.

Season (Earth's tilt) — day length itself grows and shrinks through the year, which is why the 8-part daylight divisions used for Rahu Kaal and Choghadiya are longer in summer and shorter in winter, even for the same city.

Elevation and horizon — a location with a clear, low horizon (like a coastal or flat area) can register sunrise a little earlier than a location surrounded by hills to the east.

Why this matters for your panchang

Because so many timing tools chain off sunrise and sunset, getting your location right is the single most important input for accurate results — more important, in practice, than most people realise. Two people in different cities on the same date can have meaningfully different Rahu Kaal windows, Choghadiya slots and Abhijit Muhurat timing, purely because their sunrise and sunset differ. Once you have today's sunrise and sunset for your city from the calculator above, you can check the full day's Panchang — tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana — all computed from the same underlying moment.

How sunrise and sunset are calculated

Sunrise and sunset times are computed using precise astronomical algorithms (based on Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms) that account for the observer's latitude, longitude and the date. The tool uses the SunCalc library, which models the Sun's position to within a fraction of a degree. Brahma Muhurta is derived from sunrise: it spans approximately 96 to 48 minutes before sunrise — the two traditional muhurtas before dawn. In polar regions or extreme latitudes, the Sun may not rise or set at all on certain dates; the tool will indicate when this is the case.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the Vedic almanac use sunrise as its reference point?

In Vedic tradition the day begins at sunrise rather than midnight. Tithi, nakshatra and most muhurat calculations are referenced to the sunrise moment because it marks the start of the natural, observable day.

What is Brahma Muhurta?

Brahma Muhurta spans the two muhurtas (approximately 96 to 48 minutes) before sunrise. It is traditionally considered the most auspicious time for meditation, yoga, prayer and study — a quiet period when the mind is fresh and the environment is calm.

How accurate are these sunrise and sunset times?

This tool uses precise astronomical calculations (SunCalc / Jean Meeus algorithms) for your city's latitude and longitude. Times are accurate to within a minute for most locations under normal atmospheric conditions.

Why does sunrise time change throughout the year?

Because the Earth's axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit. As the Earth moves around the Sun, different hemispheres receive sunlight at different angles, shifting sunrise and sunset times throughout the seasons.

Is sunrise the same across a city?

For a single city, yes — the time difference across even a large city is under a minute. For a country as wide as India, sunrise can differ by up to 1.5 hours between the eastern and western extremes, which is why this tool asks for a specific city rather than assuming a fixed national time.

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