Calculating…
Finding the next prayer
Today’s Salah
Prayer times in Bournemouth
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Dawn · Sunrise—Cutoff —
Dusk · Sunset—Maghrib —
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Seasonal calculationDhuhr +5 minMaghrib +2 min
Fajr and Isha are seasonal estimates. Check your mosque’s adopted timetable.
Research & local guidance
See how every time is calculated.
Explore the astronomy behind prayer times, the Bournemouth summer-twilight question, calculation methods, safety buffers, and mosque information—all kept away from the daily prayer screen.
One important distinctionCalculated: the Sun physically reaches the selected angle.Estimated: a high-latitude rule supplies a prayer time when that angle is not reached.
Interactive diagram · Bournemouth only
How deep below the horizon?
50.7192° N · 1.8808° W
Horizon 0°Civil 6°Nautical 12°Prayer methods 15°–18°
Sun’s lowest position during each night
Time spent below each line on this night
In 2026, Bournemouth does not reach 18° for part of late spring and summer.
How Salah Atlas calculates
From the Sun’s position to your clock.
Date and coordinates
We use the selected city’s latitude and longitude. The diagram above is fixed to Bournemouth so its claim stays local and testable.
Sun’s declination
Earth’s tilt and orbit determine how far north or south the Sun appears on that date.
Hour angle
The hour-angle equation finds when the Sun crosses the required altitude: −0.833° for sunrise or sunset, and the selected twilight angle for angle-based Fajr and Isha. Seasonal uses the date-and-latitude rules below.
Local clock time
Longitude, the equation of time and the location’s time zone convert the solar event to local clock time.
Core solar equationcos H = (sin h − sin φ sin δ) ÷ (cos φ cos δ)h = chosen Sun altitude · φ = latitude · δ = solar declination
Methods currently selectable
Seasonal estimates and fixed angles.
MethodFajrIshaMeaning
SeasonalVariesVariesLatitude, season and night-length rules
MWL18°17°Earlier Fajr and later Isha
ISNA15°15°Both use a shallower twilight
Egyptian19.5°17.5°Deepest Fajr angle of the three
The fixed-angle methods show “—” if the Sun never reaches the required angle. Seasonal supplies explicitly labelled estimates. The default is Seasonal for UK locations and 50°–61° north; MWL elsewhere. This latitude band is the site’s preference, not a claim of religious consensus. You can change the method; your choice is remembered for each location on this device. “My location” uses your device’s time zone; check it when travelling.
Understanding twilight
Seasonal research
Twilight lasts longer or shorter depending on your latitude and the time of year. Seasonal estimates Fajr before sunrise and Isha after sunset using these changes, with additional rules for northern locations.
The rules used on this site
- Below 55°: compare the seasonal curve with 18° twilight. Use the later Fajr and earlier Isha; if 18° is absent, use the seasonal estimate.
- 55° and above: Fajr cannot be earlier than the last seventh of the preceding sunset-to-sunrise night; Isha cannot be later than the first seventh of the following night. Compare these limits with the seasonal curve.
- Above 60°: if daylight exceeds 18 hours, is below 6 hours, or there is no sunrise/sunset, estimate Fajr and Isha at 60° with the same longitude. Actual sunrise/sunset remain location-specific and show “—” where absent.
See the complete seasonal maths
Let L be absolute latitude. The four anchor values in minutes are:
Fajr: A = 75 + 28.65L/55; B = 75 + 19.44L/55; C = 75 + 32.74L/55; D = 75 + 48.1L/55.
Isha (general): A = 75 + 25.6L/55; B = 75 + 2.05L/55; C = 75 − 9.21L/55; D = 75 + 6.14L/55.
Count days from 21 December in the northern hemisphere, or 21 June in the southern hemisphere. Interpolate in straight lines between A, B, C, D, C, B, A at days 0, 91, 137, 183, 229, 275, 366. Actual elapsed days include leap days; the cycle resets on the next anchor date. Then apply the latitude rules above.
These are empirical coefficients, not universal physical constants. No extra Fajr or Isha buffer is added. Sunrise cutoff −2 minutes, Maghrib +2 minutes and Dhuhr +5 minutes are separate site settings.
Sources: seasonal model — Moonsighting.com, Fajr and Isha (2015), sections 11–12; solar calculations — NOAA; horizon definitions — U.S. Naval Observatory. Follow your mosque’s adopted timetable.
Precaution used on this site
Small buffers are shown openly.
Sunrise/Fajr cutoff 2 minutes before calculated sunriseDhuhr 5 minutes after calculated solar noonMaghrib 2 minutes after calculated sunset
Prayer nearby
Mosques in Bournemouth
Local mosque information loads only after you select or confirm a city. Each mosque links to its official timetable where available because jamaat times are set locally and cannot be safely estimated.
Select a city to load local mosque times.
Sources and limitations
Check the reasoning.
U.S. Naval ObservatoryRise, set and standard horizon definitions ↗NOAA Solar CalculatorSolar equations and accuracy details ↗HM Nautical Almanac OfficeAuthoritative UK astronomical data ↗Moonsighting.com — seasonal modelObservation-guided Fajr and Isha method ↗MWL and ICOPHigh-latitude local relative estimation ↗
Calculated solar position is highly predictable. Visible twilight can still vary with cloud, humidity, aerosols, light pollution, observer height and the local horizon. Islamic dates also require a separate moon-sighting policy.