Sun Path & Shadows
Solar position and shadow lengths for any site and date
Sun-path chart
About Sun Path & Shadows
The sun path calculator shows where the sun is in the sky for any place, date, and time on Earth. Enter coordinates, or let the browser use your location, and it computes the solar altitude and azimuth, sunrise, solar noon, and sunset times, and draws the full sun-path chart for that day.
Give it an object height and it also estimates the shadow length, which is the practical question behind most solar studies: will the neighbor’s building shade the garden in December, how far does a tree’s shadow reach at 3 p.m., where should the terrace go? Azimuths are reported with compass directions, and times are shown in a zone estimated from the longitude.
Architects use it for site analysis and window orientation, photographers for planning golden-hour shots, and solar installers for a first shading check. The astronomy is pure solar geometry computed in your browser, free: terrain, obstructions, and weather are not taken into account, and polar day or night is flagged when it occurs.
How to use Sun Path & Shadows
- Enter the latitude and longitude, or click “Use my location.”
- Pick the date and set the time of day.
- Enter an object height if you want the shadow length estimated.
- Read the solar altitude, azimuth, shadow length, and the sunrise, solar noon, and sunset times.
- Explore the sun-path chart to see the sun’s full arc for that date.