New York, USA
Lat: 40.71°•Lon: -74.01°
Subsolar Point (Sun directly overhead at zenith)
Major World Metropolitan Hubs
Day and Night World Map (Earth Solar Terminator)
Sinusoidal Solar Terminator Curve•Real-Time Subsolar Point Pin•Major Capital City Markers•Live Equirectangular World Projection
See Where Sunlight Shines Across Earth Right Now
View our planet in real time with an interactive day and night terminator map. The undulating sine curve dividing daylight from nighttime shadow is dynamically computed from current solar declination and UTC time.
Locate the glowing subsolar point where the sun shines directly 90 degrees overhead at zenith, and check whether world capitals are bathed in day, twilight, or night.
How to Use the Day and Night World Map
1
Observe illuminated daylight continents and shaded night regions worldwide.
2
Find the subsolar point marker displaying where the sun is currently overhead.
3
Hover over world capitals to check their current local time and illumination status.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the solar terminator?
The solar terminator (or twilight zone) is the moving line that divides the illuminated day side and the dark night side of a planetary body.
Why is the day/night boundary curved on a flat map?
Because the Earth is a sphere tilted at 23.4 degrees, projecting the circular terminator onto a flat equirectangular cylindrical map creates an undulating sine-wave curve.
What is the subsolar point?
The subsolar point is the location on a planet’s surface where the sun is perceived to be directly overhead at the zenith (angle of incidence = 90°).
Ready to Use the Day and Night World Map?
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