Sun Angle Calculator
The sun's position in the sky changes throughout the day and across seasons. The solar elevation angle tells you how high the sun is above the horizon, while the azimuth tells you its compass direction. These two angles together define exactly where the sun is at any moment, which matters for solar panel placement, building design, photography golden hours, and agricultural planning.
This calculator uses the standard astronomical formulas for solar position based on three inputs:
- Latitude: Your north-south position on Earth (-90° to +90°)
- Day of year: Determines the solar declination (Earth's axial tilt toward the sun)
- Solar time: Hour of the day in solar time (12 = solar noon, when the sun crosses your meridian)
The solar declination swings between +23.45° (summer solstice, June 21) and -23.45° (winter solstice, December 21). At the equinoxes (March 20, September 22), declination is near 0°.
The hour angle is 15° per hour from solar noon. At 10 AM solar time, the hour angle is -30°. At 2 PM solar time, it is +30°.
At solar noon, the elevation angle simplifies to: Elevation = 90° - |latitude - declination|. For example, at 40°N on the summer solstice (declination = 23.45°), the noon elevation is 90° - (40 - 23.45) = 73.45°.
Note: this uses a simplified model. For precise applications like solar tracking systems, you would also account for atmospheric refraction, the equation of time, and longitude correction from your time zone meridian.