Day Night Map
Watch the night hemisphere sweep across the planet in real time. The glowing dot marks the subsolar point — where the sun is directly overhead — and clicking anywhere reveals today's sunrise and sunset there.
Click anywhere on the map for today's sunrise and sunset at that point.
NOAA solar algorithm · civil sunrise/sunset (90.833° zenith). The dark overlay is the night hemisphere — its edge is the terminator line.
How to use this tool
Watch the night hemisphere update live (or pause it).
Find the sun dot — the subsolar point right now.
Click any point for its sunrise and sunset today.
What people use this tool for
Seeing at a glance which continents are in daylight during a live event
Teachers demonstrating day/night and time zones in class
How it's calculated
The subsolar point comes from NOAA solar equations (declination + equation of time). The night side is drawn as a 90°-radius geodesic circle around the antipode of the subsolar point — exactly the hemisphere where the sun is below the horizon. Live mode refreshes every 60 seconds; clicked-point sunrise/sunset uses the standard 90.833° zenith.
Related tools and resources
Frequently asked questions
What is the terminator?
The moving line between day and night — the set of places where the sun is exactly on the horizon right now.
What is the subsolar point?
The spot on Earth where the sun is directly overhead at this moment, marked with the sun dot.
How often does the map update?
Every 60 seconds in live mode, or manually with the refresh button.
Why does the night area look uneven?
It is exactly half the globe — the terminator only looks wavy because flat maps stretch the poles.
Is the edge the exact sunrise/sunset line?
Yes, for the ideal horizon — terrain and refraction nuances of a minute or so are not modelled.
Why is the whole Arctic dark (or light)?
Near the solstices the polar regions experience polar night or midnight sun, so the terminator loops around the pole.
Can I see yesterday's terminator?
Pause live mode and use the refresh button — the map always shows the current moment, not history.
Does it work on the date line?
Yes — the night circle is drawn geodesically, so it renders correctly across the antimeridian.