The map below shows the current position of the Sun and indicates which parts of the Earth are in day and which are in night.
Change time and date
| < 4 weeks | 4 weeks > | March equinox | |||
| < 1 day | 1 day > | June solstice | |||
| < 12 hours | 12 hours > | September equinox | |||
| < 6 hours | 6 hours > | December solstice | |||
| < 1 hour | 1 hour > | Now/Current time | |||
| < 10 minutes | 10 minutes > |
Map notes
- The day and night parts of the Earth shown are as of Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 21:24:00 UTC.
- The Sun's position is marked with this symbol:
. At this location, the Sun will be at its zenith (directly overhead) in relation to an observer. - The Moon's position is marked with this symbol:
. At this location, the Moon will be at its zenith in relation to an observer. Note that the symbol is not showing the current phase of the Moon. - Different shades of darkness are used to indicate night; these shades are in order from lightest to darkest:
- Civil Twilight (lightest shade)
- Nautical Twilight
- Astronomical Twilight
- Night, no twilight (darkest)
- Latitude circles
- NPC – Northern Polar Circle, or Arctic Circle, is at latitude 66°34' N. At locations north of the Arctic Circle, the Sun is visible all day and night during a period before and after the June solstice.
- NT – Northern Tropic, or Tropic of Cancer, is at latitude 23°26' N and is the northernmost latitude at which the Sun can be directly overhead (this occurs during June solstice, around June 21).
- ST – Southern Tropic, or Tropic of Capricorn, is at latitude 23°26' S S and is the southernmost latitude at which the Sun can be directly overhead (this occurs during December solstice, around December 21).
- SPC – Southern Polar Circle, or Antarctic Circle, is at latitude 66°34' S. South of this latitude, the Sun is visible all day and night during summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Map is generated based on images from NASA
Position of the Sun
On Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 21:24:00 UTC the Sun is at its zenith at these coordinates:| Latitude: | 22° 28' | South |
| Longitude: | 143° 17' | West |
During the next hour, the Sun's position relative to Earth's surface will move in an westerly direction by 14° 59' 44" longitude and in a southerly direction by 0° 00' 18" latitude.
The average ground speed of the movement is currently 428.71 meters/second, 1543.4 km/hour, 959.0 miles/hour or 833.4 knots.
Locations with the Sun near zenith
The following table shows 6 locations with Sun near zenith position in the sky.| Location | Local time | Distance | Direction | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France - Tahiti - Papeete | Sat 11:24 AM | 854 km | 531 miles | 461 nm |  NW |
| French Polynesia - Gambier Islands | Sat 12:24 PM | 859 km | 534 miles | 464 nm |  E |
| Pitcairn Islands - Adamstown | Sat 1:24 PM | 1376 km | 855 miles | 743 nm |  ESE |
| France - Marquesas Islands - Taiohae | Sat 11:54 AM | 1544 km | 959 miles | 834 nm |  NNE |
| Cook Islands - Rarotonga | Sat 11:24 AM | 1758 km | 1092 miles | 949 nm |  W |
| Niue - Alofi | Sat 10:24 AM | 2795 km | 1737 miles | 1509 nm | W |
SymbolsSat means Saturday, December 5, 2009 (6 places listed). km means kilometers from origin.miles means miles from origin. nm means nautical miles from origin. All numbers are air distances. Configure this site! (Select AM/PM or 24 hour mode, home place and country) |
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