What | Time Is Sunrise
You can get the exact sunrise time for your specific location using tools like the Time and Date Sunrise Calculator or the US Naval Observatory's Data Portal . For example, as of April 29, 2026, the sunrise in is at 6:47 AM , while in New York City it is 5:58 AM .
Sunrise is officially defined as the moment when the (top edge) of the Sun first appears on the horizon. However, the exact time this occurs is not a fixed universal constant; it is a moving target that shifts every day based on where you are on Earth and the time of year. The Mechanics of Sunrise Time
Because the Earth rotates 15° every hour, your east-west position determines your "true" sunrise time relative to UTC (Greenwich Mean Time). what time is sunrise
Many people confuse "dawn" with "sunrise," but they are distinct stages of morning light:
The further you move from the equator, the more dramatic the seasonal shifts in sunrise time. Near the poles, the sun may not rise at all during winter or set during summer. You can get the exact sunrise time for
If you are on a mountain peak, you will see the sunrise earlier than someone in the valley below because your horizon line is physically lower.
Due to the Earth's tilted axis and elliptical orbit, our clocks (which run at a constant speed) and the Sun (which appears to move at varying speeds) don't always match. This is why the earliest sunrise of the year doesn't actually fall on the summer solstice. Dawn vs. Sunrise However, the exact time this occurs is not
Are you planning to the sunrise or just looking for the best time to wake up and see it? Sunrise and Sunset Times Near the Solstices