when does the sun come up

Sunrise times vary by location, date, and time zone, as Earth's rotation and tilt cause the Sun to appear to rise at different moments daily. Without a specific city or coordinates, exact times can't be pinpointed, but tools like sunrise calculators use your latitude to compute them precisely.
Sunrise Basics
The Sun "comes up" when its upper edge peeks over the eastern horizon, typically shifting from northeast in spring/summer to southeast in fall/winter at temperate latitudes. This daily event lasts a moment but feels drawn out near equinoxes due to atmospheric refraction bending light. On average, it happens around 6 AM in many places during standard time, give or take hours based on season and spot on the globe.
Factors Affecting Times
- Location : Coastal cities like Los Angeles see sunrise ~6:20 AM in late April (DST), while inland spots differ by minutes.
- Season : Earliest in late June (summer solstice); latest post-December solstice. For LA at 34°N, summer rise is ~4:45 AM, winter ~10 hours later.
- Time Zone/DST : Standard time pushes winter sunrises later; permanent DST could shift "wake pre-sunrise" days.
Finding Your Local Time
Use sites like sunrisesunset.com or suncalc.org—input lat/long for today (Jan 29, 2026). Example: Seattle ~6:21 AM DST on a spring day, Anchorage later at 6:39 AM. Apps factor in elevation and weather for civil twilight (pre-sun glow).
Quick Examples Table
City| Approx. Winter Sunrise| Approx. Summer Sunrise
---|---|---
Los Angeles, CA 17| ~6:50 AM| ~5:30 AM
New York, NY 4| ~7:20 AM| ~5:20 AM
London, UK 4| ~8:00 AM| ~4:45 AM
TL;DR : Sunrise depends on your spot—check a calculator for today's exact time at your location.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.