Sunrise is the moment when the sun appears above the horizon in the morning, marking the beginning of a new day. As Earth rotates, your part of the planet turns toward the sun, and you see it rise in the east. The sky shifts from darkness through shades of purple, pink, and orange before brightening into full daylight.

Ancient peoples structured their entire lives around sunrise, waking with the light to farm, hunt, and work. Before electric lights, sunrise meant it was time to start the day's activities. Even today, many people feel energized watching a sunrise, as if they're getting a fresh start along with the new day.

The word can also describe the time period when this happens. Someone might say “I woke up at sunrise” or “We'll leave at sunrise,” meaning that early morning hour when the sun first appears. Different locations experience sunrise at different times: when you're eating breakfast in New York, children in California may still be asleep because sunrise hasn't reached them yet.