Are you wondering, “What Time Is Sundown Today?” Knowing the sunset time is crucial for planning outdoor activities, understanding daylight hours, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) provides a helpful tool, the Solar Calculator, to determine sunrise and sunset times for any location worldwide. This guide will walk you through using the older version of the NOAA Solar Calculator to easily find out the sundown time for today or any day you choose.
While NOAA offers an updated version of their solar calculator, some users may prefer the original interface. This guide focuses on the classic version, providing clear, step-by-step instructions to calculate sunset and sunrise times. Keep in mind that this is the older version, and for an enhanced experience, you might want to click here to try the updated version of NOAA’s Solar Calculator.
Step-by-Step Directions to Calculate Sundown Time
Using the NOAA Solar Calculator is straightforward. Follow these steps to quickly find the sunset time for your desired location:
1. Location Selection: Choose a City or Enter Latitude and Longitude
The first step is to specify the location for which you need the sunrise and sunset times. You have two options:
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Select a City from the Dropdown Menu: The easiest way is to use the “City” dropdown menu. Simply scroll through the list and select the city closest to your location. Once you select a city, the calculator automatically populates the latitude, longitude, and time zone fields.
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Enter Latitude and Longitude Manually: For more precise locations or if your city isn’t listed, choose “Enter Lat/Long ->” from the dropdown menu. This option allows you to manually input the latitude, longitude, and time zone.
- Understanding Latitude and Longitude Conventions: It’s important to understand the sign conventions used in this older version of the calculator:
- Longitude: Positive values are for locations in the Western Hemisphere, and negative values are for the Eastern Hemisphere.
- Latitude: Positive values represent the Northern Hemisphere, and negative values represent the Southern Hemisphere.
You can enter latitude and longitude in degrees/minutes/seconds or decimal degrees in the “Deg:” field. If you choose a city from the dropdown, these fields will be filled automatically. Remember, if you want to manually enter latitude, longitude, or time zone, ensure you select “Enter Lat/Long –>” from the City dropdown, or your manual entries will be overwritten by the selected city’s data.
- Understanding Latitude and Longitude Conventions: It’s important to understand the sign conventions used in this older version of the calculator:
2. Time Zone and Daylight Saving Time Settings
Next, you need to configure the time zone and daylight saving settings:
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Time Zone: If you selected a city, the time zone associated with that city’s Local Standard Time will be automatically entered. If you opted to “Enter Lat/Long –>”, you can manually input the time zone. If you are unsure about the time zone for a specific location, you can refer to NOAA’s Time Zone Table.
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Daylight Saving Time: The “Daylight Saving” field allows you to account for daylight saving time. Select “Yes” if daylight saving time is in effect. This will adjust the calculated sunrise, sunset, and solar noon times forward by one hour.
3. Date Input for Sundown Calculation
The calculator automatically retrieves the current date from your computer and populates the month, day, and year fields. To find the sundown time for a different date:
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Select Month and Enter Day and Year: Use the month dropdown menu to choose the desired month. Then, enter the day and the four-digit year in the respective input boxes.
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Calculate Sunrise/Sunset Button: After changing the date, it’s crucial to click the “Calculate Sunrise/Sunset” button to update the results for the new date. This action triggers the calculation for the specified date and location, giving you the accurate sundown time.
4. Viewing and Printing Sundown Time Results
Once you’ve entered the location, time zone, and date, and clicked “Calculate Sunrise/Sunset,” the results, including the sundown time, will be displayed.
- Print Functionality: You can easily obtain a hard copy of these results using your web browser’s “Print” function. This is useful for keeping a record or for offline access to the sundown time information.
5. Special Considerations for Polar Regions
For locations above the Arctic Circle and below the Antarctic Circle, there are unique conditions regarding sunrise and sunset:
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No Sunrise or Sunset on Certain Days: In these regions, there may be days when the sun does not rise or set. In such cases, the calculator will determine the local time and date of the most recent sunrise or sunset and the next sunset or sunrise.
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UTC Fields Display “prior” or “next”: When a sunrise or sunset doesn’t occur on the given day, the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) fields will display “prior” or “next” information instead of specific UTC times, indicating the last or next occurrence.
6. Accuracy of Sundown Time Calculations
The NOAA Solar Calculator provides accurate results, but it’s important to be aware of its limitations, especially at very high latitudes:
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Accuracy at High Latitudes: For latitudes greater than 72 degrees North or South, the calculations are accurate to within approximately 10 minutes.
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Accuracy at Lower Latitudes: For latitudes less than +/- 72 degrees, the accuracy is higher, approximately within one minute.
For more detailed information about the calculation methods, you can refer to the Solar Calculation Details page.
Knowing “what time is sundown today” is now at your fingertips with the NOAA Solar Calculator. Whether you are planning an evening walk, scheduling outdoor photography, or simply curious about the day’s light, this tool provides the information you need. Remember to explore the updated version of NOAA’s Solar Calculator for potentially enhanced features and user experience.
This guide is based on the information provided in the original NOAA Solar Calculator webpage and aims to explain its usage for determining sundown times.
