Sunrise & Sunset on Other Planets
Calculate daylight, sunrise, sunset and solar noon on Mars, Venus, Mercury and other worlds. Choose a planet, latitude and season to see how long the Sun stays above the horizon.
Planetary sunrise and sunset calculator
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Quick Answers About Sunrise & Sunset on Other Planets
- How long is daylight on Mars?
- At the equator on equinox, daylight is 12 local hours — 12h 20m of Earth time — because a Martian sol is 1.02749125 Earth days. Latitude and season change that.
- How long is a day on Mars?
- One mean solar day, a sol, is about 1.02749125 Earth days (~24 h 40 m). The Planetary Day Converter converts sols to Earth time.
- What time is sunrise on Mars?
- In local solar time it depends on latitude and season. Equator/equinox: 06:00. 45° N in northern summer: 04:08. These are not Earth time-zone clocks.
- What time is sunset on Mars?
- Equator/equinox: 18:00 local solar time. 45° N northern summer: 19:52.
- Does Mars have sunrise and sunset?
- Yes, except during polar day or polar night, when the Sun stays up or down for a full sol.
- How long is a day on Venus?
- The solar day is about 116.75 Earth days. Sidereal rotation is longer (~243 Earth days) and retrograde.
- How long is a day on Mercury?
- The solar day is about 175.942 Earth days. Sidereal rotation is ~59 Earth days.
- Do all planets have sunrise and sunset?
- Rocky worlds do, with polar exceptions. Gas giants can be modeled at a reference level, but they have no solid walking surface.
Sunrise and Sunset on Mars
Mars is the usual search: sunrise on Mars, sunset on Mars, and how long daylight lasts. A sol is a little longer than an Earth day, and the 25.2° tilt makes seasons. Load the built-in Mars 45° N / Summer preset to see Sunrise 04:08, solar noon 12:00, sunset 19:52, daylight 15h 44m.
Polar day and polar night happen when latitude plus solar declination keep the Sun from crossing the horizon. That is geometry, not a missing clock.
How Long Is a Daylight Period on Each Planet?
At the equator during equinox, every world in this model has 12 local solar hours of daylight. Earth-time duration then follows the solar day. Gas-giant rows are theoretical reference horizons.
| Planet | Solar day | Equinox daylight | Axial tilt | Special note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 175.942 Earth days | 12 local h (2111h 18m Earth time) | 0.034° | Solar day is much longer than the sidereal spin because of the 3:2 resonance. |
| Venus | 116.75 Earth days | 12 local h (1401h Earth time) | 3.39° | Retrograde spin. Solar day ≈ 117 Earth days; sidereal rotation ≈ 243 Earth days. |
| Earth | 1 Earth days | 12 local h (12h Earth time) | 23.44° | Reference world. One mean solar day is 24 hours. |
| Mars | 1.02749125 Earth days | 12 local h (12h 20m Earth time) | 25.19° | A sol is about 24 h 40 m. Seasons come from a 25.2° tilt. |
| Jupiter | 0.41354 Earth days | 12 local h (4h 58m Earth time) | 3.13° | Theoretical horizon |
| Saturn | 0.44401 Earth days | 12 local h (5h 20m Earth time) | 26.73° | Theoretical horizon |
| Uranus | 0.71833 Earth days | 12 local h (8h 37m Earth time) | 97.77° | Theoretical horizon |
| Neptune | 0.67125 Earth days | 12 local h (8h 3m Earth time) | 28.32° | Theoretical horizon |
What changes daylight from world to world
| Planet | Typical day length | What affects daylight | Interesting difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars | ~24 h 40 m | Latitude + 25.2° tilt | Earth-like seasons on a longer sol |
| Venus | ~117 Earth days | Very slow retrograde spin | One local hour lasts days on Earth |
| Mercury | ~176 Earth days | Spin–orbit resonance | Solar day ≠ sidereal day |
| Jupiter | ~10 Earth hours | Fast rotation, small tilt | No solid horizon |
Sunrise and Sunset on Venus
Venus rotates retrograde and very slowly. Do not treat the ~243-Earth-day sidereal period as the solar day — the Sun-to-Sun cycle is about 116.75 Earth days. At the equator on equinox this page still reports 06:00 sunrise and 18:00 sunset in local solar time; each local hour is many Earth days long.
Sunrise and Sunset on Mercury
Mercury’s 3:2 spin–orbit resonance makes the solar day (~175.942 Earth days) much longer than the sidereal rotation. Equator/equinox local times are 06:00 / 18:00. Axial tilt is almost zero, so seasons barely change daylight.
How to Calculate Sunrise and Sunset on Another Planet
- Select a planet.
- Enter a latitude, or tap a chip, or use your location after you grant permission.
- Choose a season or a custom solar declination.
- Read sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and daylight duration in local solar time.
How the Sunrise and Sunset Calculation Works
Solar altitude follows spherical geometry: sin(altitude) = sin(latitude) × sin(declination) + cos(latitude) × cos(declination) × cos(hour angle). At geometric sunrise and sunset, altitude is 0°, which simplifies to:
cos(H) = −tan(latitude) × tan(declination)
H is the hour angle from solar noon to sunset. Daylight fraction is H / π. Local sunrise is 12:00 minus 12 × that fraction of hours; sunset is 12:00 plus the same span. If |cos(H)| would exceed 1, the Sun does not cross the horizon — polar day or polar night.
Default Mars 45° N northern summer on this page: Sunrise 04:08, solar noon 12:00, sunset 19:52, daylight 15h 44m. Formula used: cos(H) = −tan(45) × tan(25.19).
What this model does not include
This is an educational spherical-horizon model. It does not add terrain, mountains, elevation, atmospheric refraction, scattering, local horizon blockage, or a mission ephemeris. Do not use it for spacecraft operations, landing, navigation, or engineering.
Real examples
- Mars at the equator during equinox: Sunrise 06:00, solar noon 12:00, sunset 18:00, daylight 12h. (0°)
- Mars at 45° N during northern summer: Sunrise 04:08, solar noon 12:00, sunset 19:52, daylight 15h 44m. (45° N)
- Mars at 45° N during northern winter: Sunrise 07:52, solar noon 12:00, sunset 16:08, daylight 8h 16m. (45° N)
- Earth at 45° N during summer: Sunrise 04:17, solar noon 12:00, sunset 19:43, daylight 15h 26m. (45° N)
- Venus at the equator: Sunrise 06:00, solar noon 12:00, sunset 18:00, daylight 12h. (0°)
- Mercury at the equator: Sunrise 06:00, solar noon 12:00, sunset 18:00, daylight 12h. (0°)
- Mars polar day at 80° N in northern summer: Polar day — the Sun does not set. (80° N)
- Mars polar night at 80° N in northern winter: Polar night — the Sun does not rise. (80° N)
Common Mistakes When Calculating Sunrise on Other Planets
- Confusing a sidereal day with a solar day — especially on Mercury and Venus.
- Assuming every planet uses a 24-hour civil day.
- Treating Jupiter or Saturn as if they had a normal solid horizon.
- Assuming sunrise always happens twice per rotation. Polar day and polar night break that.
- Ignoring latitude or season / solar declination.
- Reading local solar time as an Earth time-zone clock.
- Treating this geometry model as mission-grade astronomy.
Planetary day vs sunrise
Rotation sets how long one spin takes. A solar day is the interval between successive local noons. Sunrise and sunset are when the Sun crosses the horizon during that solar day. Convert rotation lengths with the Planetary Day Converter. Convert orbital years with the Planetary Year Converter. Birthday age is the Age on Other Planets Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a planetary sunrise?
- It is the moment the Sun’s center reaches a geometric horizon in this model, reported in local solar time for that world’s solar day.
- Does Mars have sunrise and sunset?
- Yes, except during polar day or polar night, when the Sun stays above or below the horizon for a full sol.
- What time does the Sun rise on Mars?
- In local solar time it depends on latitude and season. At the equator on equinox it is 06:00. This is not an Earth time zone.
- What time does the Sun set on Mars?
- At the equator on equinox it is 18:00 local solar time. Higher latitudes and seasons move sunset earlier or later.
- How long is daylight on Mars?
- Equator and equinox: 12 local hours, a little over 12 Earth hours because a sol is longer than 24 Earth hours. Latitude and season change that.
- How long is a day on Mars?
- One mean solar day, a sol, is about 1.027 Earth days — roughly 24 hours 40 minutes.
- Why are sunrise and sunset different on Venus?
- Venus rotates retrograde and very slowly. Its solar day is about 117 Earth days, not the 243-Earth-day sidereal spin.
- Does every planet have sunrise and sunset?
- Rocky planets do, with polar exceptions. Gas giants can be modeled at a reference level but have no solid surface horizon.
- Why does latitude change daylight hours?
- Higher latitudes change the Sun’s path relative to the horizon. Combined with solar declination, that lengthens or shortens the day.
- What is local solar time?
- A 24-hour clock tied to the Sun. 12:00 is solar noon on that world, not a city time zone on Earth.
- Are these sunrise and sunset times exact?
- No. They are geometric estimates. Atmosphere, terrain, and real orbits are omitted.
- Can I use this calculator for real space missions?
- No. It is educational only. Mission work needs official ephemerides and site-specific data.
- Why are gas giant sunrise times theoretical?
- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have no solid walking surface. The horizon in this tool is a reference level.
Educational spherical-horizon model. Not a NASA product and not a mission ephemeris. Rotation and tilt follow the NASA Planetary Fact Sheet. Last editorial review: 2026-10-03.
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