A world in the light.
Live day and night, across the planet. Explore a place to see its local sun path.
2026-09-18 12:00 UTC
Day and night are calculated from the geometric sun, updated every 30 seconds in Live mode. The shaded edge includes twilight down to −18°. This is a solar model, not a satellite or weather image.
Where does day become night?
The moving edge between daylight and darkness is called the terminator. It follows the places where the sun’s geometric center reaches the horizon. The softer shaded band represents twilight: the sun has set, but scattered sunlight still lights the sky.
What does “sun overhead” mean?
The sun is directly above one point on Earth at a time, called the subsolar point. Its latitude moves between the tropics over the year. Its longitude moves westward as Earth rotates. Select another date to see how the illuminated half of the planet changes with the seasons.
From a world map to your own place
Choose a city, tap the map or enter an address. “Explore this place” opens the sun path map with that location and exact moment. There you can compare dates, play the sun’s movement and save your study.
Calculations use the same solar methodology as the local planner. The world outline is public-domain Natural Earth data. This map does not depict live clouds, terrain shade or satellite observations.