Where Does The Sun Rise First On The Planet?

Have you ever found yourself wondering where the sun rises first on the planet? It might not be the first thing that comes to many of our minds, but with New Year just around the corner, plenty have been left scratching their heads when it comes to who sees sunlight first at the start of the year.

Our rotating ball or rock and water is constantly moving around the sun, with the sunrise and sunset guaranteed for most of us each day. Still, that doesn’t mean it happens at the same time for everyone. Instead, the constant rotation means one place gets to see the sun before everyone else.

The international date line usually determines the first sunrise

Humans have long been fascinated with trying to make sense of time and space. Of course, there is no way to track time without creating it in the first place, right? Not only do we have calendars and clocks to keep track of dates and times, but we also have the international date line. This is the thing that cuts almost completely around the middle of the planet - with a few exceptions to keep countries in one time zone or to avoid economic and political issues. The result? Each part of the world has its own time zone, meaning it tends to keep the daytime hours in the sunnier parts of the day without things getting too confusing. 

Caroline Island typically sees the sun rise first

Having the earliest time zone of UTC +14 means Kiribati should technically be the first place to see the sunrise each day. This is usually the case, especially as the area is so close to the equator. In fact, it’s Caroline Island in Kiribati that actually sees the sun rise first on the planet. Sometimes called Millennium Island, not many get to experience what it’s like to see the sun before anyone else in the world, as the island is uninhabited. 

The Earth’s tilt means the first place to see the sunrise changes

Just because we have the international date line and time zones doesn’t mean that the same place gets to see the sunrise first every day. Why? The Earth’s tilt. The planet has a slight 23.5-degree tilt, meaning the first place sunlight falls changes throughout the year. In fact, during the southern hemisphere’s summer solstice, most of Antarctica sees sunlight all day long, with some arguing it sees the first sunrise and others stating it never sets, so it never rises.

Young Island usually sees the first sunrise of the New Year

It’s not just where the sun rises first on the planet that’s got people talking. Some want to know who sees sunshine before anyone else when the New Year rolls around. That title typically goes to Young Island, an uninhabited island owned by New Zealand. In fact, the island usually sees the first sunrise of the day for days or even weeks around the southern summer solstice, including January 1.

Light-refracting effects of the atmosphere also impact the first sunrise

Of course, it wouldn’t be our planet without it throwing a wrench in the works. That’s how we end up with different places that see the first sunrise of the day each day, especially when it comes to the light-refracting effects. This sometimes means that Young Island doesn’t actually see the sun set at all, as the light from across the way continues to shine on the land before it technically rises again. When this happens, the title of where gets to see the sun rise first on the planet actually goes to Dribble Glacier, an area belonging to the Antarctic coastline.

The Northern Hemisphere takes the title during its summer solstice

The northern summer solstice happens every year between June 20 to June 22, which means the Northern Hemisphere gets longer days and more hours of sunshine. It also means that the first sunrise on the planet moves further north. The international date line actually snakes around Alaska and Russia, meaning Little Diomede - a part of the US - and Big Diomede - a part of Russia - battle it out as to who gets the first sunrise of the day. Ultimately, the title goes to the Russian island of Big Diomede for a time until the Earth continues to rotate around the sun.

Where does the sun rise first on the planet? It turns out it all depends on where the Earth is on its rotation around the sun and exactly how the tilt of the planet sits at the time. All in all, if you want to see the first sunrise of the New Year, it seems your best bet might be to head to Young Island to see the sun before anyone else in the world.