Sun Clock – Gordon's

Natural Time – A single-hand clock with a daily-changing dial – aligned with the rhythms of celestial bodies and nature

Why Sun Clock?

I was dissatisfied with standard time, recurring daylight saving changes, and the fact that noon is rarely at 12 o’clock. My solution: an organic dial that displays true local solar time.

It shows when the sun is at its highest point and how much daylight remains – for your individual location. No artificial railway time, no time shifts, just solar time.

What do you see?

The horizon divides the screen. Above it: the sky with sun, moon, planets, and the ten brightest stars. Below: celestial bodies on the other side of Earth. The sun travels throughout the day from left (east) to right (west) along its path, just like in the real sky (reversed in Southern Hemisphere). The moon has its own orbit. Planets and stars show their positions.

The sun’s path functions as a clock face: hour marks indicate the time of day. At a glance, you see how long the day is, when night falls, and how this changes with the seasons.

What is Sun Clock for?

  • Reconnection to natural rhythms – not just daily, but seasonally
  • Children intuitively understand the movements of stars and celestial bodies
  • Wall clock: Hang it on the wall and observe the natural change of time daily
  • Astronomy: Observe conditions for solar eclipses, full/new moons, and planetary positions

Special features

  • Precise calculations using JPL ephemerides (almanac-level accuracy)
  • Location-dependent: Works worldwide with your coordinates
  • Offline: No internet connection needed after initial setup (GPS time sync available)
  • Time travel: Explore past and future – even the sky at your birth
  • Meteor showers: The eight major showers with viewing area and radiant
  • Optional second-precise Agnihotra times with countdown
  • Optional weather display with a calm, icon-based daily overview
  • Temporal hours display: 12 unequal daytime hours & 4 night watches – historical time system

Seven years of experience

I’ve lived with this clock for seven years. It taught me to connect more with natural rhythms. The changing paths of sun and moon show me how short winter days are, how lunar phases work, etc. I recognise the angle of sunlight and see the starry sky.

This app is my gift to the world. Free, ad-free and privacy-friendly.

Web app – Astronomical Clock >
Play Store – Astronomical Clock (light version) >
Play Store – Gordon’s Sun Clock >
GitHub – project & APK >

Setup >
Explanation of the clock face >
More information >
Support >
Automatic translation into more languages >

P.S. If you use iOS, use Astronomical Clock instead of Gordon’s Sun Clock. It can be used directly in the browser and is a lighter version with slightly lower accuracy. An inexpensive used Android tablet still works very well as a wall clock: from $50 (Android 7 is sufficient; e.g. Huawei MediaPad M5 (Lite) 10, Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, Lenovo Tab P11, HONOR Pad 8, Huawei MatePad SE 11, [Samsung Tab A SM-T510/515]) → a tablet as a wall clock.