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    Type a name: Jupiter, Orion, M42, Perseids, a city. Ctrl+K or / opens search on any page.

    Photo: NASA/GSFC/SDO

    Where is the Sun now?

    The Sun is the star at the centre of our solar system, a ball of hot plasma about 109 times as wide as Earth. Its light takes about 8 minutes to reach us, and its gravity holds the planets in their orbits.

    Our sister site HeliotempoSunrise, sunset and golden hour for your placeSunrise and sunset times, golden and blue hour, day length and the Sun’s path over your home, for any place and date.Open Heliotempo
    Sun Virgo Photo: NASA/GSFC/SDO
    Rises7:05 AM
    Highest12:42 PM41°
    Sets6:19 PM
    Distance from Earth92.7 million mi
    Apparent size32.0′
    ConstellationVirgo

    Right now

    DirectionSSE (149°)
    Height above horizon36.4°
    Distance from Earth92.7 million mi
    Apparent size32.0′
    ConstellationVirgo

    See it on the sky

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    11:04 AMTue, Oct 13

    Drag to look around, pinch or scroll to zoom.

    Sun in 3D

    The Sun’s visible surface with its darker edge (limb darkening), turning on its axis. Never look at the real Sun without certified eye protection.

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    11:04 AMTue, Oct 13

    Drag to look around, pinch or scroll to zoom.

    Ephemeris for the next 15 days

    Position at 0:00 UTC each day as seen from the centre of the Earth (apparent coordinates of date), calculated with Astronomy Engine.

    Date (UTC)Right ascensionDeclinationApparent sizeDistanceConstellation
    Oct 13, 202613h 12m 39s−07° 41′ 45″32.0′0.9979 auVirgo
    Oct 14, 202613h 16m 21s−08° 04′ 09″32.0′0.9977 auVirgo
    Oct 15, 202613h 20m 04s−08° 26′ 26″32.1′0.9974 auVirgo
    Oct 16, 202613h 23m 47s−08° 48′ 35″32.1′0.9971 auVirgo
    Oct 17, 202613h 27m 31s−09° 10′ 37″32.1′0.9968 auVirgo
    Oct 18, 202613h 31m 16s−09° 32′ 31″32.1′0.9965 auVirgo
    Oct 19, 202613h 35m 01s−09° 54′ 17″32.1′0.9962 auVirgo
    Oct 20, 202613h 38m 46s−10° 15′ 54″32.1′0.9959 auVirgo
    Oct 21, 202613h 42m 33s−10° 37′ 22″32.1′0.9956 auVirgo
    Oct 22, 202613h 46m 20s−10° 58′ 40″32.1′0.9954 auVirgo
    Oct 23, 202613h 50m 07s−11° 19′ 49″32.1′0.9951 auVirgo
    Oct 24, 202613h 53m 55s−11° 40′ 47″32.1′0.9948 auVirgo
    Oct 25, 202613h 57m 44s−12° 01′ 34″32.1′0.9945 auVirgo
    Oct 26, 202614h 01m 34s−12° 22′ 10″32.2′0.9943 auVirgo
    Oct 27, 202614h 05m 24s−12° 42′ 35″32.2′0.9940 auVirgo

    Coming up

    Facts

    Diameter1,391,400 km
    Surface gravity274 m/s²
    Escape velocity617.6 km/s

    Source: NASA planetary fact sheet (Oct 12, 2026). Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source library verified against the US Naval Observatory and NASA JPL. Data sources

    Gravity compared: Sun and Earth

    Drop, jump and throw on the Sun’s visible surface beside Earth or any other world. Pick a world to compare, or open the full tool. Open the gravity tool

    Earth: gravity of 9.8 m/s², 0.04 times that of Sun.

    Compare Sun with
    Experiment
    10 m

    Loading 3D view...

    0.00 s · 0.00 m0.00 s · 0.00 m
    SunEarth
    Surface gravity274 m/s²9.8 m/s² (0.04 ×)
    Time to fall0.27 s1.43 s

    Earth: with a mass of 70 kg you would weigh what 70.0 kg weighs on Earth, a force of 686 newtons.

    Gravity values are NASA’s, measured at the equator and including the effect of the world’s rotation. The motion is shown without air: on Earth a real ball would be slowed down a little, and in the much denser air of Venus a lot.

    NASA news about Sun

    Headlines from NASA’s news feeds (in English), updated daily. Last checked October 13, 2026.

    Discoveries and exploration

    Key moments in the study of Sun, each linked to its source.

    1. September 1, 1859R.C. Carrington and Richard Hodgson independently observe a large solar flare; its effects reach Earth the next day. Source
    2. May 14, 1973Skylab launches carrying the Apollo Telescope Mount, a crewed solar observatory in Earth orbit. Source
    3. April 17, 1976Helios 2 reaches perihelion at 0.29 AU, the closest flyby of the Sun at that time. Source
    4. June 26, 1994Ulysses begins observing the Sun's south polar region from above 70 degrees solar latitude. Source
    5. December 2, 1995The ESA-NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) launches to study the Sun from core to corona. Source
    6. February 11, 2010NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory launches to study how solar activity is created and drives space weather. Source
    7. August 12, 2018NASA's Parker Solar Probe launches on its mission to "touch the Sun." Source
    8. February 10, 2020ESA's Solar Orbiter launches on its solar orbiting mission. Source
    9. December 14, 2021NASA announces that Parker Solar Probe has flown through the corona and sampled particles and magnetic fields there. Source
    10. October 15, 2024NASA, NOAA and the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announce that the Sun has reached its solar maximum period. Source
    11. December 24, 2024Parker Solar Probe makes its record-breaking closest approach, about 3.8 million miles above the solar surface. Source
    12. June 11, 2025ESA releases Solar Orbiter's first images of the Sun's poles, taken from outside the ecliptic plane. Source

    Checked against the linked NASA, ESA and NOAA pages on October 10, 2026.

    How to use this page

    Choose your place and a day at the top: today by default, or one of the dates under it. The tiles show when the Sun rises, is highest and sets, with its distance and apparent size. Below them you find where it is right now, the sky in 3D, the year’s events and the facts.

    What the numbers mean

    Rises and sets
    When the top edge of the disc meets a flat horizon, with the bending of light by the air included, as in almanacs. A time on another day carries its date.
    Highest
    When it crosses the meridian, due south or due north, and its height above the horizon then.
    Direction and height
    The compass point and azimuth to face, counted from north through east, and the angle above the horizon. A fist at arm’s length covers about 10°.
    Distance and apparent size
    How far away it is from Earth’s centre at that moment and how wide it looks in the sky, in arcminutes (′) or arcseconds (″).

    How accurate it is

    Positions and times come from Astronomy Engine. In our tests positions agree with NASA JPL’s Horizons to within one arcminute, and rise and set times of the Sun and the Moon to within two minutes. Times assume a flat horizon at your place, so hills and buildings change when you actually see it rise or set. Methodology

    Frequently asked questions

    Why do the times change from night to night?

    Earth turns once a day, and the body moves along its own path at the same time, so it rises and sets at a slightly different time each day. The Moon moves fastest and rises about 50 minutes later each day.

    Do the times include hills and buildings?

    No. They are for a flat horizon. Hills, trees and buildings make a body rise later and set earlier than the page shows.

    Is it safe to look at the Sun?

    No. Never look at the Sun directly, or through binoculars, a camera or a telescope, without a certified solar filter. Even a brief look can damage your eyes.

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