Real-time Sunrise and Sunset Tracking Map

Track the Sun setting or rising in real-time.


The map displays- in real time- the lines between the light (day) and dark (night) sides of the earth. This dividing line is known as the terminator. The parts of the earth that are crossing the terminator are where sunrises and sunsets occur.

As the map runs in real-time, you can watch different parts of the earth move from night to day (and vice versa).

Sunrise and sunset

You can choose between close-up views of the sunrise (night-to-day) and sunset (day-to-night) halves of the terminator. Sunrise (the part of the earth moving out of the shadow) is shown in yellow, moving across the landscape. Sunset (the parts of the earth moving into shadow) is shown in blue.

Latitude

Latitude is how far north or south of the equator (from 0 to 90 degrees) a place is. You can choose which latitude you want the view centred on. Either click the map (you may find navigation easier if you zoom out first) to centre on that latitude, or enter a value from +90 degrees (the North Pole) to -90 degrees (the South Pole).

Note that areas within the Arctic and Antarctic circles may be in permanent daylight or night during winter or summer, so it's impossible to show sunrise and sunset in such cases.