Sunreach
Why sunrise time isn't when the sun reaches you
The sunrise time on your phone assumes a flat sea-level horizon. In the mountains the sun reaches you when it clears the ridge, often more than an hour later.
Read more →Field notes
Sun times that count the mountains, for photographers and travelers, with real numbers from the Sunreach engine: places, travel guides, explainers and honest comparisons with other sun planning apps.
Places ·
When does the sun reach Bovec? Sun times with the mountains counted
Official sunrise in Bovec is not when the sun reaches the town. Month-by-month times from 40 m terrain, and how much light the Julian Alps take.
Read more →
Places ·
Velika korita Soče: when is the Great Soča Gorge in the sun?
The Great Soča Gorge loses more than six hours of sun on some days to the mountains. Month-by-month times from 2 m lidar, and why there is never golden light at the bottom.
Read more →
Golden hour in the mountains: when the low sun actually reaches you
Golden hour happens in the sky every day, but in a valley the warm low sun often never reaches the ground. The 6° rule, with Bovec and the Soča gorge as examples.
Read more →
How to calculate golden hour: times by latitude and season
The definition, the maths in one paragraph, golden and blue hour tables for six cities, and the one thing every golden hour calculator leaves out.
Read more →
Sunreach vs The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE): sun behind mountains
TPE is the veteran map-based planner with the moon and Milky Way. Sunreach answers one question TPE leaves to you: when is the sun on this exact spot?
Read more →
Sunreach vs PlanIt Pro: which shows real sun times in the mountains?
PlanIt Pro has the biggest feature list of any photo planner, offline elevation and Android. Sunreach does one thing it does not: sun-on-spot times from lidar.
Read more →
Sunreach vs SunCast: terrain shadows vs sun-on-spot times
SunCast draws terrain and building shadows on a 3D map and adds solar-panel tools. Sunreach turns the terrain into times for one spot, with lidar where it exists.
Read more →
Best sun position apps for photographers in 2026
Twelve sun planning apps side by side, sorted by the question most of them skip: do they know when the sun actually clears the mountains at your spot?
Read more →
Travel ·
Great Soča Gorge: when is it sunny? A visitor’s light guide
The Great Soča Gorge is famous for turquoise water, but the sun reaches it only for part of the day. When to go, month by month, from 2 m terrain data.
Read more →
Travel ·
Dolomites sunrise and sunset: when the sun reaches 9 famous spots
Sunrise in the Dolomites is a different time at every spot. Computed sun times for the nine places everyone visits, from Seceda to Lago di Sorapis.
Read more →
Places ·
Lago di Braies: when is the lake in the sun? Sunrise and sun times
The most photographed lake in the Dolomites is in shade at sunrise for most of the year. When the sun reaches the water, month by month.
Read more →
Places ·
Yosemite Firefall 2027: when sunset light hits Horsetail Fall
Every February the setting sun turns Horsetail Fall on El Capitan orange. Last-light times for each evening of February 2027, computed from lidar.
Read more →
Places ·
When does El Capitan get sun? Sun and shade on El Cap
In summer the lower wall of El Capitan stays in shade until late morning and bakes all afternoon. Month-by-month sun times for the wall, the summit and El Cap Meadow.
Read more →
Travel ·
Sun or shade? How to plan a mountain trip around the sun
A sunny terrace for lunch, a lake while the water is lit, a shady trail on a hot day: simple rules for travelers, each with computed times from real places.
Read more →
Travel ·
Plan a sightseeing day around the sun
A sunny viewpoint, an outdoor lunch and an evening walk: use sun and shade to choose when to visit each stop, anywhere you travel.
Read more →
Travel ·
Will my hotel balcony or terrace get sun?
Check the surrounding hills before booking an outdoor stay, and know when a ground-based model cannot answer for a particular balcony.
Read more →
How to use a sun path planner for photography
Pick the camera position, check whether the light reaches it, and understand the difference between a sunlit viewpoint and a sunlit subject.
Read more →
Plan drone filming around sunlight and shadows
Choose a light window for an aerial composition, preview the view from a chosen height and explore how the camera and daylight change together.
Read more →
Places ·
Manhattanhenge 2027: dates, times and where to stand
Twice a year the setting sun lines up with Manhattan's cross streets. The evenings of 2027, minute by minute, with the New Jersey skyline in the calculation.
Read more →
Places ·
Sun behind the Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro: winter dates
Every winter morning the low sun crosses behind the tower around 09:20–09:50. Around the solstice it sits just above the first floor.
Read more →
Find sun or shade in a city with 3D buildings
Buildings decide the light in a city. Turn the 3D city view to the minute you plan and see which side of the street is lit.
Read more →
Peak light and valley fog: when is it worth going?
Which summits catch the pink light after sunset, for how long, and whether a cloud bank will kill it. Plus the mornings a valley fills with fog.
Read more →
Sunreach vs Shadowmap: city shadows vs sun on your spot
Shadowmap simulates sun and shadow on 3D buildings and trees, with solar analytics. Sunreach gives sun-on-spot times from terrain and lidar, plus AR and alignment search.
Read more →
Sunreach vs PhotoPills: terrain-aware times vs the planner
PhotoPills is the photographer’s toolbox: map planner, alignment finder, AR, Milky Way, exposure tools. Sunreach adds what it leaves to you: the terrain.
Read more →
Sunreach vs Sun Seeker: compass and AR vs terrain and 3D
Sun Seeker is a long-running sun compass with AR, a map, widgets and a Watch app. Sunreach counts the mountains and adds 3D.
Read more →
Sunreach vs Sun Quest: terrain shadows vs sun-on-spot times
Sun Quest is a cheap sun tracker with AR, terrain and building shadows in Pro. Sunreach turns the terrain into times and adds 3D and alignment search.
Read more →
What Kp do you need to see the aurora from your spot?
From any Kp in Tromsø to Kp 4.9 in London and Kp 7.3 in the Alps: what decides it, and how far ahead you can know.
Read more →
What time is the aurora strongest? Magnetic midnight, place by place
Magnetic midnight is 23:28 in Edinburgh and 02:19 in Yellowknife. Away from it the oval pulls back: about 0.8 Kp more at dusk, 1.8 at dawn.
Read more →
How to read an aurora forecast: Kp, Bz, solar wind and the OVATION map
Kp says how far south the aurora reaches. Bz says whether it will brighten in the next hour. The map says where it is now. Read them in that order.
Read more →