See the sunlight before you go
Sun path planner: see the sun in 3D from any spot
In Lauterbrunnen the sun rises at 54° in June and 124° in December, and stands 67° high at noon in June but 20° in December. See any spot's sun path against its real skyline.
One valley, four seasons
The sun's path is set by the date and the latitude. What you see of it is set by the skyline. This is the valley floor at Lauterbrunnen in 2027, local time.
| Date | Sunrise direction | Sunset direction | Height at noon | Official sunrise to sunset | Direct sun on the valley floor | Scene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 March | 90° E | 271° W | 43° | 06:32 to 18:40 | 09:42 to 14:40 | Preview |
| 21 June | 54° NE | 306° NW | 67° | 05:35 to 21:25 | 08:56 to 16:20 | Preview |
| 23 September | 89° E | 271° W | 43° | 07:16 to 19:24 | 10:26 to 15:25 | Preview |
| 21 December | 124° SE | 236° SW | 20° | 08:09 to 16:43 | 11:49 to 13:25 | Preview |
The sunrise point swings 71° along the horizon between June and December, and the noon sun drops from 67° to 20°. Directions are compass bearings from true north. For how much light the ridges take at other mountain towns, see when the sun really sets behind the mountains, and the Lauterbrunnen skyline itself.
Reading the path in Heliora
- Set the observer pin. Search for a place or enter coordinates, then move the pin to the camera position. No location permission is needed.
- Choose the date. The date, time control and results use the pin’s local timezone.
- Follow the path in the 3D sky. Move the time control to see the sun’s direction and height against the skyline from that pin.
- Read the light at the pin. In “Light & Moon”, First and Last direct sunlight show when the sun’s centre clears the terrain and when a ridge hides it. “Full Sun & twilight details” has the flat-horizon times for comparison.
Until the card says “Terrain-adjusted”, its direct-sun times are a flat-horizon estimate.
Other free sun-path tools
Each of these is free to open in a browser and does something well. Checked 13 October 2026.
- SunCalc draws the sun’s direction at sunrise, at a chosen time and at sunset on a map, with altitude, azimuth and shadow length, and the band the path moves through over the year. Fast and clear for a flat horizon.
- Andrew Marsh’s 3D Sun-Path links a map to a 3D sun-path diagram and shadow projections, and accepts your own 3D model. A strong teaching and architecture tool.
- Shadowmap shows the sun path and shadows with 3D buildings and terrain. Its free tier is limited to the current day; choosing other dates is a paid feature.
- ShadeMap simulates mountain, building and tree shadows on a map for any date and time, and can total the hours of direct sun at a place.
Heliora’s angle is the view from one spot: the sky drawn from the pin with its own skyline, and the times when the ridge actually gives and takes the sun there.
Move the pin when the viewpoint changes
The pin is the observer. Another point in the same valley can have a different skyline and a different last light, so move the pin to test it, or use Compare spots for up to three positions on the same date. The calculation does not say when a distant mountain or building is lit: a subject can stay in sunlight after the observer is in shade.
How these numbers are computed, and where they can be wrong: Method and accuracy.