The sun position calculator shows the Sun’s current altitude and azimuth at the selected location. It also gives solar noon and a schematic daily arc, helping you connect a time with the direction and height of the Sun.
Solar results
Altitude tells you how high to look
Solar altitude is an angle above or below a level geometric horizon. A value of 0° is on that horizon, a positive value is above it and a negative value is below it. An altitude of 30° means the Sun is one-third of the angular distance from the horizon to directly overhead.
The current altitude is a geometric calculation, not a measurement from your camera or an adjustment for local hills. Near sunrise and sunset, atmospheric refraction can make the Sun visible even while its calculated center is slightly below the geometric horizon.
Azimuth tells you which way to face
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north. Use 90° for east, 180° for south and 270° for west. The degree value and compass label describe the same direction.
Altitude and azimuth work together. A low Sun in the southwest may enter a window beneath an overhang, while a higher Sun from a similar bearing may not. A direction alone cannot determine whether a room, garden or balcony is in direct sunlight.
Read the daily arc as a guide
The arc summarizes sunrise, solar noon and sunset. It is a schematic timeline, not a scaled map of the sky or a survey of shadows. Use the numerical times and angles when precision matters.
The current altitude and direction always describe now. The date selector changes the date-based events, including sunrise, sunset and the calculated daily maximum. Selecting a future date does not turn the current-position card into an hourly simulation for that day.
What the tool can tell you about shadows
On level ground, a vertical object’s shadow generally becomes longer as the Sun gets lower and shorter as it gets higher. Its direction is opposite the Sun’s azimuth. Surrounding structures, slopes and uneven surfaces can change the real pattern.
For a simple idealized example, a one-meter vertical object with the Sun at 45° altitude casts a one-meter shadow on level ground. The calculator does not produce a building shadow model or estimate solar-panel output; use it to understand the solar geometry behind those questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is solar altitude the same as elevation?
In solar-position descriptions, elevation angle and altitude often mean the same angular height above the horizon. They do not mean the observer’s height above sea level.
Why is the Sun’s altitude negative near sunrise?
The altitude refers to the Sun’s geometric center. The sunrise convention accounts approximately for the Sun’s apparent radius and normal atmospheric bending, so the center is below 0° at the calculated event.
Does the Sun reach 90° every day?
No. A directly overhead Sun occurs only within the tropics and only on particular dates for a given location. Elsewhere, the day’s maximum altitude stays below 90°.
Can I use this page to predict shade at a specific hour tomorrow?
The page gives current position and selected-date solar events, not an arbitrary-time shade simulation. To model a future shadow, you also need that hour’s solar position and the geometry of the objects and ground involved.