सूर्यास्तः · sūryāstaḥ
Sunset Time Today
The exact moment the Sun's upper edge slips below the horizon where you are, the stages of dusk that follow, and the evening timings that matter in a Panchang. Pick your city or use your location.
Calculating for your place…
Calculated in your browser from the positions of the Sun and Moon — within about a minute of observatory tables. Your location never leaves your device. Times assume a flat horizon at sea level; hills or tall buildings delay what you actually see.
Today's timings
Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika divide the daylight between sunrise and sunset into eighths; Godhuli Bela straddles sunset itself.
Sunset for the next 7 days
For the place selected above, in its local time.
Dusk, step by step
The last sliver of the Sun disappears. Refraction keeps it in view for a couple of minutes after its true setting.
Street lights come on; Venus and the brightest stars appear. Roughly 20–30 minutes after sunset in India.
The horizon fades from view at sea and the sky turns deep blue.
True night begins — the sky is as dark as it will get, apart from moonlight.
The evening in Sanskrit
Sunset in Hindu practice
Evening sandhya mirrors the morning one: the Sandhyavandana is repeated as the Sun goes down, and in many homes a lamp is lit at dusk — at the threshold, before the deity or beside the tulsi — with the verse śubhaṃ karoti kalyāṇam. Godhuli bela, the dusty glow when cattle return home, is considered so auspicious in North India that weddings are often timed to it.
On Trayodashi, the evening just after sunset is Pradosha kala, the time for the Pradosha vrata and Shiva worship. And during Chhath Puja, devotees stand in rivers to offer arghya to the setting Sun on the third day before greeting the rising Sun on the fourth — one of the few festivals that honours the Sun as it departs.
Why the earliest sunset comes before the shortest day
In north India the earliest sunsets of the year fall in late November and early December, about three weeks before the December solstice, even though the shortest day is on the solstice itself. Solar noon is drifting later through December — the "equation of time" — so sunsets begin to get later while sunrises are still getting later too. The same drift is why the latest sunsets come in late June or early July, after the longest day.
Why sunsets are red
Near the horizon, sunlight crosses up to forty times more air than when the Sun is overhead. Air molecules scatter blue light much more strongly than red, so by the time the light reaches you the blues have been scattered away and the reds and oranges remain. Dust, smoke and humidity add their own glow — which is why sunsets after a dusty day can be the most vivid.
Frequently asked questions
What time is sunset today?
Today's sunset for your chosen city or location is shown at the top of this page, calculated live for that place and shown in its local time zone.
What is Godhuli Bela?
Godhuli bela, literally the 'cow-dust time', is the twilight around sunset when cattle traditionally returned home raising dust. It is considered an auspicious time, especially for weddings in North India. This page shows it as the 24 minutes centred on sunset.
When does it get dark after sunset?
In India civil dusk — when it is too dark to read outdoors — comes about 20 to 30 minutes after sunset, and full night (astronomical dusk) about 70 to 80 minutes after. Twilight lasts longer the farther you are from the equator.
What is Pradosha kala?
Pradosha kala is the period just after sunset, especially on Trayodashi (the 13th lunar day). It is the traditional time for the Pradosha vrata and Shiva worship.
Why is Rahu Kaal calculated from sunset as well as sunrise?
Rahu Kaal is one eighth of the daylight between sunrise and sunset. Which eighth depends on the weekday — the last one on Sunday, the second on Monday, and so on — so both times are needed to place it.