Solar noon
Solar noon is the moment the Sun is highest in the sky, exactly midway between sunrise and sunset, when shadows are at their shortest. It is rarely at 12:00 on the clock: it drifts with your longitude inside your time zone, with the seasons, and with daylight saving time.
See solar noon for your city
Every city page shows today's dawn, sunrise, solar noon, golden hour, sunset and dusk in local time.
Why solar noon isn't 12:00
Clock time is set for a whole time zone, but the Sun only stands due south (or north) over one line of longitude in that zone at a time. If you live to the west of your zone's reference longitude, your solar noon is later than 12:00; to the east, earlier. Daylight saving time shifts it a further hour.
On top of that, the Sun runs a little fast or slow through the year, by up to about 16 minutes, an effect called the equation of time, caused by Earth's tilted axis and its slightly oval orbit.
Finding your solar noon
The simplest sign is your own shadow: at solar noon it points due north or south and is at its shortest for the day. Between the equinox and solstice the difference from clock noon can be well over an hour once time zones and daylight saving are added up.
Frequently asked questions
What time is solar noon today?
It is the midpoint between today's sunrise and sunset, usually not 12:00. Open your city to see today's exact solar noon.
Why isn't solar noon at 12:00?
Because clock time covers a whole time zone while the Sun is only overhead at one longitude at a time, plus daylight saving and the equation of time.
What is the equation of time?
A yearly cycle, up to about 16 minutes, by which the Sun runs ahead of or behind clock time, caused by Earth's axial tilt and elliptical orbit.
Is solar noon when shadows are shortest?
Yes. At solar noon the Sun is highest, so shadows are shortest and point due north or south.