Sun Position API

GET

Calculate exact sun angles and compass bearings for any location.

Sun Position calculates solar altitude, azimuth, and compass bearings for any geographic coordinates and time. Provide latitude and longitude to read sun elevation angles and daylight status; paid plans add panel aiming angles and shadow ratios.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition?lat=37.7749&lon=-122.4194

Query parameters

latnumber

lonnumber

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "date": "01-16-2026",
    "time": "14:30",
    "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
    "timestampUTC": "2026-01-16T22:30:00.000Z",
    "coordinates": {
      "latitude": 37.7749,
      "longitude": -122.4194
    },
    "sun": {
      "altitude": 0.41616137328975444,
      "azimuth": 0.5817558808515568,
      "altitudeDegrees": 23.844,
      "azimuthDegrees": 33.332,
      "compassBearing": 213.332,
      "isDaylight": true,
      "declination": -20.7961,
      "rightAscension": 19.9228,
      "hourAngle": 2.174,
      "distance": 0.983786
    },
    "equationOfTime": -9.88,
    "airMass": 2.454,
    "clearSky": {
      "directNormal": 702.4,
      "globalHorizontal": 284.9
    },
    "shadowRatio": 2.254,
    "panelAim": {
      "tilt": 66.07,
      "azimuth": 213.44
    }
  }
}

About the Sun Position API

Sun Position works by analyzing the location provided and calculating sun position data. It uses advanced algorithms to calculate data such as altitude, azimuth, and distance of the sun from the location and returns the sun position data.

What people use it for

Golden Hour Photo Planning: To help photographers capture natural light, mobile photography guides check solar altitude and compass bearings to forecast golden hour windows.
Smart Blind Automation: Lower automated window shades when incoming sun altitude and bearing show direct glare striking specific building facades.
Architectural Glare Analysis: Building design software computes sun elevation angles across the day to evaluate interior daylighting and orient office windows.
Athletic Field Orientation: When setting up temporary sports pitches, venue managers check compass bearings to align player sightlines away from the setting sun.

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Sun Position

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the Sun Position API.

Read the docs →

Can I query sun position for any date and timezone worldwide?

Yes. You can supply any global latitude and longitude alongside a specific date and time in 24-hour format. If you do not provide a timezone, the API automatically resolves the local IANA timezone from the coordinates. Note that calculating positions for dates other than today requires a paid plan.

Is it cheap enough to calculate sun positions for every user request?

Yes. Each lookup costs 2 credits, allowing the Starter plan to handle 100,000 calculations every month. That works out to about $0.30 per 1,000 calls, or roughly $0.0003 per call. You can also test queries on the Free plan, which provides 100 calculations per month.

Are solar panel aiming angles and shadow ratios included on the Free plan?

No, those are premium fields that require a paid plan. The Free plan returns basic altitude, azimuth, compass bearing, and daylight status for the current date. Solar panel tilt and azimuth, shadow ratio, atmospheric air mass, clear-sky irradiance estimates, and custom query dates are available on Starter and higher plans.

What happens to the calculation when the sun is below the horizon?

When the sun is below the horizon, the daylight indicator is set to false and the altitude values become negative. On paid plans, fields that require direct sunlight—including solar panel aim angles, shadow ratio, clear-sky irradiance, and atmospheric air mass—return as null.

Can I use the sun position calculations in a commercial solar or photography app?

Yes, provided you are on a paid plan. The Free plan is limited to non-commercial evaluation. You can display the sun positions, angles, and solar estimates directly in your product, but you may not resell or redistribute the raw calculation data as a standalone service.

Request parameters — GET /v1/sunposition

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`lat`Required	number	`37.7749`	The latitude of the location range -90-90
`lon`Required	number	`-122.4194`	The longitude of the location range -180-180

Optional

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`date`OptionalPremium	string	`01-16-2026`	The date to get the sun position data for (MM-DD-YYYY) date
`time`Optional	string	`14:30`	The time of day for the calculation (HH:mm format, 24-hour), read in the timezone of the coordinates. Defaults to 00:00 if not provided time
`timezone`Optional	string	`America/Los_Angeles`	IANA timezone to read the date and time in, such as America/Los_Angeles. Defaults to the timezone of the coordinates timezone

Example request

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition?lat=37.7749&lon=-122.4194&date=01-16-2026&time=14%3A30&timezone=America%2FLos_Angeles" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/sunposition

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "date": "01-16-2026",
    "time": "14:30",
    "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
    "timestampUTC": "2026-01-16T22:30:00.000Z",
    "coordinates": {
      "latitude": 37.7749,
      "longitude": -122.4194
    },
    "sun": {
      "altitude": 0.41616137328975444,
      "azimuth": 0.5817558808515568,
      "altitudeDegrees": 23.844,
      "azimuthDegrees": 33.332,
      "compassBearing": 213.332,
      "isDaylight": true,
      "declination": -20.7961,
      "rightAscension": 19.9228,
      "hourAngle": 2.174,
      "distance": 0.983786
    },
    "equationOfTime": -9.88,
    "airMass": 2.454,
    "clearSky": {
      "directNormal": 702.4,
      "globalHorizontal": 284.9
    },
    "shadowRatio": 2.254,
    "panelAim": {
      "tilt": 66.07,
      "azimuth": 213.44
    }
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`date`	string	`"01-16-2026"`	Date the position was calculated for
`time`	string	`"14:30"`	Time of day the position was calculated for
`timezone`	string	`"America/Los_Angeles"`	IANA timezone the date and time were read in, resolved from the coordinates unless one was given
`timestampUTC`	string	`"2026-01-16T22:30:00.000Z"`	The instant the position was calculated for, in UTC, so the answer is unambiguous
`coordinates`	object	`{...}`	The point on Earth the position was calculated from
`latitude`	number	`37.7749`	Latitude used for the calculation
`longitude`	number	`-122.4194`	Longitude used for the calculation
`sun`	object	`{...}`	Where the sun sits in the sky at that time and place
`altitude`	number	`0.41616137328975444`	Height of the sun above the horizon, in radians; negative when the sun is below the horizon. Multiply by 180/PI for degrees
`azimuth`	number	`0.5817558808515568`	Direction of the sun, in radians measured from due south and increasing westward. Multiply by 180/PI for degrees, then add 180 for a compass bearing
`altitudeDegrees`	number	`23.844`	Height of the sun above the horizon in degrees; negative when below
`azimuthDegrees`	number	`33.332`	Direction of the sun in degrees from due south, increasing westward
`compassBearing`	number	`213.332`	Direction of the sun as a compass bearing, 0 for north and 180 for south
`isDaylight`	boolean	`true`	Whether the sun is above the horizon at this time and place
`declination`Premium	number	`-20.7961`	Angle of the sun north or south of the celestial equator, in degrees
`rightAscension`Premium	number	`19.9228`	Position of the sun along the celestial equator, in hours
`hourAngle`Premium	number	`2.174`	Hours since the sun crossed the local meridian; negative before solar noon
`distance`Premium	number	`0.983786`	Distance from Earth to the sun in astronomical units
`equationOfTime`Premium	number	`-9.88`	Minutes a sundial reads ahead of the clock at this date; negative when it reads behind
`airMass`Premium	number	`2.454`	How much atmosphere the sunlight crosses, as a multiple of straight overhead; null after dark
`clearSky`Premium	object	`{...}`	Cloudless-sky irradiance estimate in watts per square metre; null after dark
`directNormal`Premium	number	`702.4`	Irradiance on a surface aimed straight at the sun, which is what a tracker sees
`globalHorizontal`Premium	number	`284.9`	Irradiance on a flat horizontal surface
`shadowRatio`Premium	number	`2.254`	Length of the shadow cast by an object, per unit of its height; null after dark
`panelAim`Premium	object	`{...}`	Where to point a solar panel to face the sun squarely at this moment; null after dark
`tilt`Premium	number	`66.07`	Degrees to tilt the panel back from vertical
`azimuth`Premium	number	`213.44`	Compass bearing to point the panel at

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Sun Position calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/sunposition

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/sunposition with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

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2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/sunposition-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceSun Position API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/sunpositionnpm apiverve-sunpositionPyPI APIVerve.API.SunPositionNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/sunposition

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Sun Position API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/sunposition

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/sunpositionThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/sunposition-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceSun Position API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

apiverve-sunpositionPyPI APIVerve.API.SunPositionNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/sunposition

Install the Python SDK, then call the Sun Position API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — PyPI

pip install apiverve-sunposition

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

PyPIapiverve-sunpositionThe published Python client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/sunposition-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceSun Position API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/sunpositionnpm APIVerve.API.SunPositionNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/sunposition

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Sun Position API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.SunPosition

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.SunPositionThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/sunposition-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceSun Position API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/sunpositionnpm apiverve-sunpositionPyPI

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/sunposition

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/sunposition with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/sunpositionnpm apiverve-sunpositionPyPI APIVerve.API.SunPositionNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/sunposition

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/sunposition with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/sunpositionnpm apiverve-sunpositionPyPI APIVerve.API.SunPositionNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/sunposition

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/sunposition with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sunposition")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/sunpositionnpm apiverve-sunpositionPyPI APIVerve.API.SunPositionNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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Sun Position API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Sun Position API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Sun Position

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/sunposition

Required

Optional

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/sunposition

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/sunposition

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Sun Position API

Astrology

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