When does the sun reach Bovec?

When does the sun reach Bovec?

In Bovec direct sun arrives 1 h 6 min after the official sunrise in midwinter and 1 h 5 min after it in midsummer, because the sun must first climb above the mountains. On 21 December 2027 the spot has sun 08:52–14:46 (5 h 54 min); on 21 June 2027 06:18–19:19 (13 h 1 min).

Times below are for the centre of Bovec (46.3378° N, 13.5521° E, ground 465 m), in Central European Time (CET, UTC+1; CEST, UTC+2 in summer). The 21st of each month is shown; neighbouring days differ by a minute or two.

The shortest day of direct sun in 2027 is 18 December 2027 with 5 h 54 min (08:50–14:45); the longest is 16 June 2027 with 13 h 1 min (06:17–19:18). On 8 days of the year the sun disappears behind a peak and comes back, so the spot has two separate spells of sun.

How much sunlight do the mountains take from Bovec?

The terrain takes 2 h 42 min of the 8 h 36 min between sunrise and sunset on 21 December and 2 h 47 min on 21 June. Over 2027 that is 826 hours of direct sun, 2 h 16 min a day on average.

In the morning the sun reaches the spot 41 min after sunrise at the March equinox and 41 min after it in September; in the evening it leaves 1 h 4 min and 1 h 3 min before sunset.

On 18 October 2026 the sun rose at 07:27 over a flat horizon but reached Bovec only at 08:34, and left at 17:40, 34 min before the flat-horizon sunset: 1 h 42 min of direct sun lost in one day. Bovec lies in a basin of the upper Soča valley at about 450 m, ringed by the Julian Alps: the Kanin range rises to 2,587 m on the north-west side.

Where does the sun appear over the ridge in Bovec?

On 21 December the first sun reaches Bovec from 137° (SE), already 8° above the horizon; on 21 June it comes from 65° (ENE) at 8.8°. The flat-horizon sunrise is at 124° (SE) and 54° (NE).

The highest point of the skyline is 28.9° above the horizon. In the evening the last sun leaves from 217° (SW) in December and 289° (WNW) in June.

Is there golden-hour light in Bovec?

Only on some days: in 2027 low warm light (the sun on the spot below 6°) reaches Bovec on 110 days, 18 mornings and 92 evenings. On the other days the sun rises over the skyline already higher than 6° or sets behind it before it gets that low.

Golden hour by the sky (true solar altitude −4° to +6°) on 21 December is 07:24–08:37 and 15:31–16:43; on 21 June 04:50–06:00 and 20:15–21:25. That is when the light is warm on open ground and on high peaks. Whether it reaches you depends on the skyline: if the terrain in the sun's direction is higher than 6°, no low sun can reach the spot. Golden hour in the mountains explains this in detail.

For photographers that means: in Bovec itself the warm low light comes in the evening, a few minutes before the sun drops behind the western ridges, and only on 18 mornings of the year. For sunrise colour go up (Kanin, Mangart road) or shoot the peaks that catch the first light while the town is still in shade.

How accurate are these times?

An estimated ±5 minutes: the skyline comes from 40 m global terrain, which reads summits up to about 100 m low and misses trees and buildings. Refraction near the horizon can add ±2–4 minutes when the sun is very low.

Method: the sun's position is computed every 30 seconds with the NOAA/Meeus equations (about 0.01°) and Saemundsson refraction. The skyline is marched from 1.7 m above the ground in 720 directions (every 0.5°), with the Earth's curvature and terrain refraction. "Sun on the spot" means any part of the sun's disc is above the skyline. Terrain: 40 m global terrain (AWS Terrain Tiles) out to 25 km in every direction. Details in About the data.