Overview
A solar position API. Sun Position works by analyzing the location provided and calculating sun position data. It uses advanced algorithms to calculate data such as altitude, azimuth, and distance of the sun from the location and returns the sun position data.
Live Test Sun Position Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("sunposition", A2, B2, "field", "timestampUTC")=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", A2, B2, "field", "timestampUTC")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, "field", "timestampUTC")=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", 37.7749, -122.4194, "field", "timestampUTC")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. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
latRequired | number | argument 2 (A2) | The latitude of the location range -90–90 |
lonRequired | number | argument 3 (B2) | The longitude of the location range -180–180 |
dateOptionalPremium | string | "date", value | The date to get the sun position data for (MM-DD-YYYY) date |
timeOptional | 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 time |
timezoneOptional | string | "timezone", value | IANA timezone to read the date and time in, such as America/Los_Angeles. Defaults to the timezone of the coordinates timezone |
Passing an option
=VERVE("sunposition", A2, B2, "date", "01-16-2026")=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", A2, B2, "date", "01-16-2026")What lands in your sheet
The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("sunposition", A2, B2)=VERVE.CALL("sunposition", A2, B2)The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #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
Both platforms make one batched call for a column rather than one request per cell, and both cost the same — 2 credits per row looked up. How you write it differs, because the two runtimes batch at different points.
=VERVE("sunposition", A2:A100, B2:B100, "field", "timestampUTC")In Google Sheets, give the arguments ranges and the answers spill down from the cell you typed in. Custom functions there run synchronously and in isolation, so dragged cells cannot be coalesced — the range form is how a column becomes one call. The "field" pair is required here: a per-row two-column table has nowhere to spill. Use a full column per input (A2:A100, not A2) — a single-cell reference is read as row 1 only and the rest of the column comes back blank.
In Excel, type the formula once and fill down — no range form and none needed, because its runtime is asynchronous and the add-in coalesces the calls a fill produces into a single batched request. Do not hand VERVE.CALL a range: Excel flattens it into positional arguments, so A2:A100 arrives as a hundred separate arguments and the cell reads #ERR rather than filling.
Either way, column A holds your lat values and the answers land beside them, one row each, blank rows 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() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| 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 | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in sunposition | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle'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 does not 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.
Use cases
- Golden Hour Photo Planning
- To help photographers capture natural light, mobile photography guides check solar altitude and compass bearings to forecast golden hour windows.
- Smart Blind Automation
- Lower automated window shades when incoming sun altitude and bearing show direct glare striking specific building facades.
- Architectural Glare Analysis
- Building design software computes sun elevation angles across the day to evaluate interior daylighting and orient office windows.
- Athletic Field Orientation
- When setting up temporary sports pitches, venue managers check compass bearings to align player sightlines away from the setting sun.
Other ways to use Sun Position
Set up Sun Position on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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