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Sun and Moon Calculator Print E-mail
Written by Patrick Thrush & USNO   
Sunday, 30 March 2008

Computing Sun and Moon Events for Aviculture

This page provides a way for you to obtain a table of the times of sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset, or the beginning and end of twilight, for one year.  Results generated utilize information from the United States Naval Observatory [USNO], and do not include Daylight Savings Time adjustments.  When DST is in use, add one hour to the times given.  Times are given for the location time zone.

These tables are useful for determining the number of daylight hours per day, and tracking the change across time for adjusting your lighting plan in aviary areas.  Birds will benefit in health and behavior from a regular photoperiod that is synchronized with the normal daytime circuit of the sun. 

You can obtain a table for any location worldwide by following these simple steps:

  • Decide on which form to use. If you want a table for cities or towns in the U.S. or its territories, use Form A below. For other locations, use Form B below.
  • Enter the year for which the table is desired.
  • Select the table type (sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset, etc.) from the pop-up list in the form that you are using.
  • Specify the location of interest using the fields provided on the form.
  • Click the "Compute Table" button at the end of the form to compute the table. The table will provide the data requested in local standard time on a 24-hour clock; for example, 1836 means 6:36 p.m., local standard time.
  • All times displayed in the tables are local times for the geographical zone requested.  Birds & Lighting assumes no liability for misinterpretation or misuse of this information.

Form A - U.S. Cities or Towns

Specify year, type of table, and place:

  

  

  

The place name you enter above must be a city or town in the U.S. The place's location will be retrieved from a file with over 22,000 places listed. If the location you enter does not produce a table, select a larger town or city near you.  Either upper- or lower-case letters or a combination can be used. Spell out place name prefixes, as in "East Orange", "Fort Lauderdale", "Mount Vernon", etc. The only exception is "St.", which is entered as an abbreviation with a period, as in "St. Louis". You need only enter as many characters as will unambiguously identify the place.

Form B - Locations Worldwide

Specify year, type of table, and place:

  

 

The place name you enter above is merely a label for the table header; you can enter any identifier, or none (avoid using punctuation characters). The data will be calculated for the longitude and latitude you enter below.

Longitude:        
Latitude:        
Time Zone:    

For locations that require it, the time zone can be entered in hours and a fraction. For example, for locations in India, the time zone may be entered as 5.5 hours east of Greenwich. The time zone field can accommodate up to five characters.

Need coordinates?  Try NGA's GEOnet Names Server (GNS). (Click on the "GNS Search" link at the top of the left frame.)
Need U.S. coordinates?  Try the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
 

 
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