LogNight

When does night start?

Airport details

Runway view

Night hours

Uses the sun at this airport for the whole flight, so check longer cross-country flights against each airport. A landing only counts toward currency if it's to a full stop.

How it works

Position lights

Required from sunset to sunrise (14 CFR 91.209(a)). Alaska uses a different rule that this tool doesn't calculate.

Night logging

Night is defined as the end of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning civil twilight, when the sun is 6° below the horizon (14 CFR 1.1). It governs logging night time (61.51(b)(3)(i)) and night equipment (91.205(c)).

Night currency

One hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise. To carry passengers as PIC, you need 3 takeoffs and 3 full-stop landings in this period within the last 90 days (14 CFR 61.57(b)).

Accuracy

Calculated on your device with NOAA and Meeus solar formulas, for a sea-level horizon, rounded to the nearest minute. Results match the Skyfield astronomy library to within seconds. USNO tables drop the seconds, so they can read a minute earlier. Times are estimates.

Moon

Moonrise, moonset, and illumination are calculated on your device and match JPL ephemeris data to about a minute. The night bar runs between the civil twilight times in 14 CFR 1.1. "Dark" and "moonlit" are rough planning words: under 10% lit counts as dark, and 40% or more as moonlit. They assume clear skies and don't account for how high the moon is. The picture is an illustration.

Runway view

An illustration of the standard pattern for the lights the FAA lists, based on the Aeronautical Information Manual. It isn't this airport's exact layout and isn't for navigation. Systems without one standard pattern are named but not drawn.

Airport data

Airports, lighting, runways, and frequencies are from the FAA NASR database, updated every 28 days. This copy is cycle Oct 29, 2026, current through Nov 25, 2026. Lights can be out of service or changed by NOTAM, so confirm with the Chart Supplement and current NOTAMs before you fly.

Globe

The globe is NASA's Black Marble, a satellite composite of the earth's lights at night, served with this site. Its day and night sides follow the sun's real position right now. It holds still if your device is set to reduce motion.

Privacy

No account and no tracking. Your location and recent airports stay on this device. The aerial photo behind an airport loads from USGS The National Map, which sees your IP address and the map area but not this page or who you are. If it can't load, the globe stays instead.

Offline use

Works without a connection after your first visit. On iPhone, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.

Educational aid only. Not a substitute for the FARs, the AIM, or your flight instructor. © 2026 LogNight.