Calculator · Skills

Sunset & Daylight Calculator

Sunrise, sunset, twilight and a camp timeline: when to stop, build shelter and light the fire.

What time does the sun set, and how much daylight is left? Pick a location and date to get sunrise, sunset and twilight times, plus a camp timeline that tells you when to stop walking, pitch your shelter and light the fire.

Sunset 18:58 Berlin

Sunrise 06:57

Daylight 12 h 1 min

Left at 15:00 3 h 59 min ≈ 15.9 fingers

Camp timeline

06:23First light (civil dawn)
06:57Sunrise
12:58Solar noon — shadows point north (N. hemisphere)
15:58Start looking for a camp site
16:58Pitch shelter
17:43Gather firewood & water
18:28Fire lit, dinner cooking
18:58Sunset
19:32Headlamp time (civil dusk)

Hand method: daylight left without a watch

Stretch your arm, palm towards you, fingers horizontal.
Put the bottom finger on the horizon, stack hands up to the sun.
Each finger ≈ 15 minutes, a full hand (4 fingers) ≈ 1 hour until sunset.
Works best at mid-latitudes; near the poles the sun sets at a shallow angle, so add time.

How is this calculated?

Sun times from the NOAA solar position algorithm (PHP date_sun_info) for the chosen coordinates and time zone. Civil twilight: sun 6° below the horizon. Camp timeline counts back from sunset.

How to use the daylight calculator

Choose a location from the list, or pick custom coordinates and enter latitude, longitude and your UTC offset including summer time.
Select the date – today is preset.
Optionally enter the time now to see how much daylight is left.

You get sunset, sunrise, the length of the day, the time left until sunset and a camp timeline.

How it is calculated

Sun times come from the NOAA solar position algorithm, built into PHP, for your coordinates and time zone. Sunrise and sunset are when the upper edge of the sun touches the horizon. Civil twilight lasts until the sun is 6° below the horizon – after that you need a headlamp. Near the poles the calculator detects midnight sun and polar night.

The camp timeline counts back from sunset:

Before sunset	Task
3 h	Start looking for a camp site
2 h	Pitch your shelter
1 h 15 min	Gather firewood and water
30 min	Fire lit, dinner cooking
0	Sunset – civil dusk follows

Daylight left is also shown in “fingers”: one finger is about 15 minutes.

The hand method without a watch

Stretch your arm out, palm facing you and fingers horizontal. Put your lowest finger on the horizon and stack fingers or hands up to the sun. Each finger is roughly 15 minutes, a full hand of four fingers about one hour until sunset. It works best at mid-latitudes; in the far north the sun sets at a shallow angle, so allow extra time.

Practical tips

In a forest or deep valley it gets dark 20–30 minutes before the official sunset.
Set up camp in daylight, even if you still feel like walking.
Always carry a headlamp – plans slip more often than you expect.

FAQ

How long after sunset is it still light?

Civil twilight, when you can still see without a lamp in open terrain, lasts about 30–45 minutes in Central Europe and longer in the far north and in summer. In a forest it gets dark much sooner.

How can I tell how much daylight is left without a watch?

Use the hand method: arm outstretched, count the fingers between the horizon and the sun. Each finger is about 15 minutes, four fingers about an hour.

When should I stop hiking to set up camp?

Plan to arrive at your camp site at least 2 hours before sunset. That leaves time to find a safe spot, pitch the shelter, gather wood and water and cook before dark.