Sun Position in Google Sheets
Formula
Get the sun's angle from a cell. =VERVE("sunposition", 37.77, -122.42) returns altitude and azimuth for any place and time — Sheets or Excel.
=VERVE("sunposition", A2, B2)=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", A2, B2)A2 holds lat, B2 holds lon. Arguments go in that order — the same order as the table below.
With literal values
Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.
=VERVE("sunposition", 37.7749, -122.4194)Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
latRequired | number | argument 2 | The latitude of the location (e.g. 37.7749) |
lonRequired | number | argument 3 | The longitude of the location (e.g. -122.4194) |
datePremium | string | "date", value | The date to get the sun position data for (MM-DD-YYYY) (e.g. 01-16-2026) |
time | string | "time", value | The time of day for the calculation (HH:mm format, 24-hour), read in the timezone of the coordinates. Defaults to 00:00 if not provided (e.g. 14:30) |
timezone | string | "timezone", value | IANA timezone to read the date and time in, such as America/Los_Angeles. Defaults to the timezone of the coordinates (e.g. America/Los_Angeles) |
Passing an option
=VERVE("sunposition", A2, B2, "date", "01-16-2026")What lands in your sheet
With no "field" pair the formula spills the whole response as two columns — field name on the left, value on the right — starting at the cell you typed in. Make sure the cells below and to the right are empty.
Pulling one value
Add a "field" pair to get a single cell back instead of a table. The field name is the dot-path from the table below.
=VERVE("sunposition", A2, B2, "field", "date")=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", A2, B2, "field", "date")Available fields
#PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
date | string | 01-16-2026 | Date the position was calculated for |
time | string | 14:30 | Time of day the position was calculated for |
timezone | string | America/Los_Angeles | IANA timezone the date and time were read in, resolved from the coordinates unless one was given |
timestampUTC | string | 2026-01-16T22:30:00.000Z | The instant the position was calculated for, in UTC, so the answer is unambiguous |
coordinates | object | {…} | The point on Earth the position was calculated from |
coordinates.latitude | number | 37.7749 | Latitude used for the calculation |
coordinates.longitude | number | -122.4194 | Longitude used for the calculation |
sun | object | {…} | Where the sun sits in the sky at that time and place |
sun.altitude | number | 0.41616137328975444 | Height of the sun above the horizon, in radians; negative when the sun is below the horizon. Multiply by 180/PI for degrees |
sun.azimuth | number | 0.5817558808515568 | Direction of the sun, in radians measured from due south and increasing westward. Multiply by 180/PI for degrees, then add 180 for a compass bearing |
sun.altitudeDegrees | number | 23.844 | Height of the sun above the horizon in degrees; negative when below |
sun.azimuthDegrees | number | 33.332 | Direction of the sun in degrees from due south, increasing westward |
sun.compassBearing | number | 213.332 | Direction of the sun as a compass bearing, 0 for north and 180 for south |
sun.isDaylight | boolean | true | Whether the sun is above the horizon at this time and place |
sun.declinationPremium | number | -20.7961 | Angle of the sun north or south of the celestial equator, in degrees |
sun.rightAscensionPremium | number | 19.9228 | Position of the sun along the celestial equator, in hours |
sun.hourAnglePremium | number | 2.174 | Hours since the sun crossed the local meridian; negative before solar noon |
sun.distancePremium | number | 0.983786 | Distance from Earth to the sun in astronomical units |
equationOfTimePremium | number | -9.88 | Minutes a sundial reads ahead of the clock at this date; negative when it reads behind |
airMassPremium | number | 2.454 | How much atmosphere the sunlight crosses, as a multiple of straight overhead; null after dark |
clearSkyPremium | object | {…} | Cloudless-sky irradiance estimate in watts per square metre; null after dark |
clearSky.directNormalPremium | number | 702.4 | Irradiance on a surface aimed straight at the sun, which is what a tracker sees |
clearSky.globalHorizontalPremium | number | 284.9 | Irradiance on a flat horizontal surface |
shadowRatioPremium | number | 2.254 | Length of the shadow cast by an object, per unit of its height; null after dark |
panelAimPremium | object | {…} | Where to point a solar panel to face the sun squarely at this moment; null after dark |
panelAim.tiltPremium | number | 66.07 | Degrees to tilt the panel back from vertical |
panelAim.azimuthPremium | number | 213.44 | Compass bearing to point the panel at |
Filling a whole column
Hand the first argument a range instead of a cell and the add-in makes one batched call for the lot, then spills the answers down. That is faster than dragging the formula and costs the same credits — one per row looked up.
=VERVE("sunposition", A2:A100, B2, "field", "date")=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", A2:A100, B2, "field", "date")A2:A100 is the column of lat values. The result spills down alongside it, one row per input, blanks skipped.
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() won't catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | The preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in sunposition | An option name that this source doesn't take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path isn't in the response. Check the dot-path against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan doesn't include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The month's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet doesn't leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Other ways to use Sun Position in Google Sheets
Set up Sun Position in Google Sheets on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sun Position in Google Sheets work in both Google Sheets and Excel?
Yes — the same source, the same arguments. Sheets calls it =VERVE("sunposition", …) and Excel calls it =VERVE.CALL("sunposition", …); that function name is the only difference.
Do the cells recalculate on their own?
They recalculate when the sheet does — on edit, on open, or on a manual recalc. Each recalculation is a fresh call and spends credits, so for a large static column it's worth copying the results and pasting them as values.
How many credits does a filled column cost?
1 credit per row looked up, whether you drag the formula or pass a range. The range form is one HTTP call instead of many, but the credit count is the same.
Can I share the sheet without sharing my key?
Yes. The key is stored against your account, not in the file. Collaborators see the values already in the cells; formulas only recalculate for someone who has connected their own account.
Why is a cell showing #ERR instead of an error?
So you can read the reason. Excel can't display a custom message on a real spreadsheet error, so the add-in returns the explanation as text on both platforms instead.