Sun Path Direction Table
| Month (15th) | Sunrise at 30°N | 40°N | 50°N | Sunset mirrors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 114° | 118° | 124° | sunset same degrees south of west |
| February | 104° | 107° | 110° | drifting back toward east |
| March | 92° | 93° | 93° | equinox: due east, due west |
| April | 79° | 77° | 75° | north of east begins |
| May | 68° | 65° | 60° | northeast mornings |
| June | 62° | 58° | 52° | solstice: widest north swing |
| July | 64° | 61° | 54° | swing retreating |
| August | 73° | 71° | 67° | still north of east |
| September | 86° | 85° | 84° | second equinox: back to due east |
| October | 99° | 100° | 102° | southeast mornings begin |
| November | 111° | 114° | 119° | deep southeast |
| December | 117° | 120° | 127° | solstice: widest south swing |
The sun rises due east exactly twice a year - and the rest of the time it drifts as much as sixty degrees north or south of that, depending on your latitude and the month. The table maps the full year of sunrise directions at three latitudes, with sunset mirroring the swing on the other side of the sky.
Bottom line: the swing widens with latitude. At 30°N the sun rises 62 degrees across the year; at 50°N it sweeps 75 - which is why northern summers feel endless in the evening (the sun sets far northwest) and northern winters feel dark by lunch (it rises far southeast and barely climbs). The equinoxes are the two honest reset points where every latitude agrees on due east.
The honest part: these are true-north degrees for a flat horizon, and the compass adds magnetic declination on top - a compass east is a few degrees off true east almost everywhere. Buildings and hills move the apparent sunrise along the horizon too, which is why the table describes the sun, not your street; the city-grid alignments like Manhattanhenge happen when this solar direction and the street layout briefly agree.
How to use
- Find your latitude's column and read the month: degrees run clockwise from true north (90 = east, 120 = southeast, 60 = northeast).
- Mirror the same degrees on the far side for sunset - a 120° sunrise travels with a 240° sunset the same day.
- For a real location, add your map's magnetic declination before pointing a compass, and let buildings argue with the horizon.
Frequently asked questions
What direction does the sunrise?
Due east - but only on the two equinoxes (late March and late September). Every other day the sunrise drifts: northeast from roughly April through August, southeast from roughly October through February, with the extremes at the solstices. At mid-latitudes the solstice sun rises about 30 degrees off east, which is a full third of the horizon's east half.
Why does the sunrise direction change through the year?
Earth's axis tips 23.4 degrees, so the sun's daily path slides north of the celestial equator in summer (rising north of east, arcing high, setting north of west) and south of it in winter (rising southeast, arcing low, setting southwest). The equinoxes are the two moments the path crosses the equator - the only days the sun rises due east everywhere on Earth, both hemispheres alike.
Does latitude change the sunrise direction?
Yes - higher latitudes see a wider swing. The June solstice sunrise runs 62° (northeast) at 30°N but 52° at 50°N, and the December one runs 117° to 127° southeast. The geometry: the axis tip tilts the sun's path harder against a steeper celestial horizon the further you stand from the tropics, which is the same leverage that makes northern summer days so long.
Where does the sun set in winter?
Southwest - the mirror of the southeast sunrise. At 40°N the December solstice sunset sits near 240° true (60 degrees south of west), which is why west-facing rooms lose their evening light in winter while south-facing ones keep theirs. The sunset swing equals the sunrise swing all year, reflected about the north-south line.
What is Manhattanhenge?
The twice-a-year evenings when the sunset's direction (near 250-260° in late May and mid-July at New York's latitude) aligns exactly with Manhattan's east-west street grid, lighting every cross street end to end. It is this table intersecting city planning: the grid was laid with a slight rotation off true east-west, so the alignment dates fall weeks off the solstice - and every grid city has its own version.