Sun Clock
☀️ Sun Clock
Javascript is required to run this application!
🕒 Overview
Sun Clock is a specialized 24-hour timepiece designed to visualize the sun's trajectory. It provides real-time data for your specific coordinates, including:
- Solar Events: Sunrise, solar noon, and sunset.
- Atmospheric Light: Golden hour and twilight periods.
- Lunar Data: The current phase and position of the moon, along with its rising and setting times.
Technical Footprint & Ethics
The site is designed to be lightweight, with a page weight of approximately ~100 KB.
It contains advertising and trackers. Actually, there are no ads or tracking scripts, with the sole exception of a minimal statistics tool provided by Simple Analytics.
"It's worth it, honest ;)"
🧭 Understanding the Direction
You might notice the clock occasionally rotates "backwards." This is intentional and based on your geographic location.
The Logic of Rotation
In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun appears to move clockwise. Historically, this was known as moving "sunwise." Conversely, moving anti-clockwise was termed "widdershins" (meaning "against the way"). Because the sun moves anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, the clock adjusts its rotation to match your latitude.
Manual Alignment
If you prefer to set the direction yourself:
- Facing South: Select clockwise.
- Facing North: Select anti-clockwise.
Pro Tip: If you orient yourself correctly and tilt your device, the hour hand can actually track the sun's physical movement across the sky.
Challenge: The exact method of alignment is an exercise for the reader. However, the goal is to ensure the screen is parallel to the plane of the ecliptic with solar noon positioned at the top.
🛠️ Features & Settings
Interactive Elements
You can interact with the interface to reveal specific timestamps:
- Segments: Hover or tap to see start/end times.
- Key Points: Interact with the moon, the hour hand, or the center dot.
Configuration Options
All times are refreshed at Solar Midnight.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Visuals | Toggle hour/minute numbers, marks, and odd hour digits. |
| Hands | Enable/disable the minute and seconds hands. |
| Style | Choose between a sweep or ticking seconds hand. |
| Format | Option to use 12-hour time (affects the clock face). |
| Location | Manual override for coordinates. |
Current Settings Checklist:
- Show Moon
- Show Hour Numbers
- Show Odd Hour Numbers
- Show Hour Marks
- Show Minutes Hand
- Show Minute Marks
- Show Minute Numbers
- Show Seconds Hand
- Sweep Hand
- Use 12-hour times
Manual Location Input
If you choose to set your location manually, use the following constraints:
- Latitude:
- Longitude:
(Note: 1–2 decimal places are sufficient for accuracy.)
📅 Version History
- 2026-03-12: Introduced a ticking seconds hand option (the sweep hand remains the default).
- 2026-01-01: Resolved an issue where the Moon icon displayed incorrectly in newer Safari versions.
- 2024-05-23:
- Added visibility toggle for odd numbers on the face.
- Synced the "12-hour times" setting with the clock face numbers.
- Enabled PWA capabilities: Install to your home screen for offline access.
- 2022-10-24: Launched auto-color mode, allowing colors to shift dynamically based on the time of day.
- 2022-09-07: Implementation of dark mode.
🔒 Privacy & Support
Sun Clock is provided free of charge. If you value the tool, please consider supporting it.
Our Privacy Promise:
{
"data_collection": "aggregate_stats_only",
"location_storage": "local_browser",
"server_transmission": "none"
}
Your personal settings and location data never leave your browser.
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