San Francisco to London: which side of the plane gets the sun?
On San Francisco to London, the shady side depends on when you fly: check the table for your departure time and season.
Best side for shade
Departure time is local at SFO. Seasons use the solstices and equinoxes.
| Departing | Mar | Jun | Sep | Dec |
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| Morning07:00 | Leftsunrise right | Leftsunset left | Left | Leftsunset right |
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| Midday12:00 | Leftsunset left | Right | Eithersun on both sides | Left |
|---|
| Afternoon16:00 | Rightsunset left | Right | Rightsunset left | Eithersun on both sides |
|---|
| Evening20:00 | Left | Rightsunset left | Left | Leftsunrise right |
|---|
The route starts out heading north-northeast. North of the tropics the midday sun is in the southern sky, so on this heading it tends to be on the right of the aircraft. When it happens during the flight, the sunrise can be on either side, depending on season and time, and the sunset can be on either side, depending on season and time.
About this flight
San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) is about 8,616 km on the shortest path, typically around 10h 45m gate to gate. Set your exact departure time above to see where the sun is minute by minute.
How accurate is this?
Real flights don't fly exactly the shortest path, and delays and winds shift the timing, so treat sunrise and sunset times as approximate. At cruise altitude the sun sets 10 to 20 minutes later than on the ground. A bright cloud deck below can reflect glare in on either side. More on accuracy.
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