Noon is the middle of the day, at exactly 12:00 in the daytime (12:00 p.m. on most clocks).

What “noon” means

  • In everyday use, noon = 12:00 during the day, the moment that ends “morning” and begins “afternoon.”
  • On clocks that use a.m./p.m., noon is labeled 12:00 p.m., even though this can be a bit confusing from a Latin point of view.
  • The word refers to a specific instant, not a whole hour: 12:00 is noon; 12:01 is already the afternoon.

Solar noon vs. clock noon

  • Solar noon is when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky at your location.
  • Because of time zones, longitude, date, and things like daylight saving time, solar noon often happens a bit before or after 12:00 by the clock—sometimes closer to 13:00 in places that use daylight saving.

In some western parts of large single-time‑zone countries (like western China), the Sun can be highest in the sky around mid‑afternoon by the clock, even though that’s the local “solar noon.”

Quick examples

  • If someone says “Let’s meet at noon,” they mean meet at 12:00 local time where you are.
  • If you were using a sundial instead of a clock, “noon” would be when the shadow is shortest and points due north or south, depending on your hemisphere—that’s solar noon.

TL;DR: Noon is 12:00 in the daytime (12:00 p.m.), marking the end of morning and the start of afternoon, while solar noon is when the Sun is highest, which may not be exactly at 12:00 on the clock.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.