Minecraft:Daylight cycle

File:Day Night.gif

A time-lapse of the daylight cycle

The daylight cycle is a 20-minute-long cycle between two main Minecraft:light settings: day and night.

Behavior

During the daylight cycle, the Minecraft:sun and Minecraft:moon appear to rotate around the player, appearing directly overhead at midday and midnight, respectively. The sun and moon always remain in the same position relative to the Minecraft:stars, and to each other. Solar eclipses are therefore impossible, and technically the moon would constantly be eclipsed by the world, even though it exhibits phases depending on the number of nights elapsed.

The daylight cycle pauses when the game is paused in the Minecraft:game menu. In multiplayer, time proceeds normally as long as the server is running.

The daylight cycle continues while the player is in Minecraft:the Nether or Minecraft:The End, although the world itself does not change until the Minecraft:Overworld is loaded again. A Minecraft:village created in another dimension observes a normal village schedule.

Conversions

In Minecraft:Minecraft, time is 72 times faster than normal time. This can be easily calculated as the proportion Template:Frac = 72, since there are 1440 minutes (86400 seconds) in a real day (3600sec × 24hr) and 20 minutes (1200 seconds) in a full Minecraft day, assuming the Minecraft:tick speed is maintained at 20 ticks/second. A collection of time unit conversions is listed below:

File:Day Night Clock 24h.png

A chart showing the approximations of Minecraft time to real time

Minecraft time to real time

Minecraft time	Minecraft Minecraft:ticks	Real time
1 second	0.27	0.0138 seconds
1 minute	16.6	0.83 seconds
1 hour	1,000	50 seconds
1 day	24,000	20 minutes
1 week (7 days)	168,000	2.3 hours (2h 20min)
1 Minecraft lunar cycle (8 days)	192,000	2.6 hours (2h 40min)

Real time to Minecraft time

The approximation of real time to Minecraft time:

Real time	Minecraft time
1 tick	3.6 seconds
1 second	1 minute and 12 seconds (72 seconds)
10 seconds	12 minutes (720 seconds)
50 seconds	1 hour (60 minutes, 3600 seconds)
1 minute	1 hour and 12 minutes (72 minutes, 4320 seconds)
20 minutes	1 day
1 hour	3 days
1 day	72 days
1 month	2,160 days
1 year (365.24 Days)	26,297 days (To the nearest day)

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Time of day to sky angle

In Minecraft:Minecraft, the sun, moon and stars do not move at a linear speed. Given a number t between 0 and 1, where 0 is midnight, 0.25 is dawn, 0.5 is midday and 0.75 is dusk, the sky angle can be calculated as follows: <math display="block">t+\frac{\frac{cos(t\times\pi)+1}{2}-t}{3}</math>

Minecraft:Vibrant Visuals effects that change with the time of day are calculated through this method with 0 corresponding to noon, so +0.5 offset.

24-hour Minecraft day

Image	Minecraft time of day	Minecraft ticks	Real time		Event
			Minutes	Seconds
Template:ClockPhase	06:00:00.0	0 (24000)	0:00 (20:00)	0 1200	Beginning of the Minecraft day. Players and Minecraft:villagers awaken from their beds. Villagers begin their workday.Template:Only
	06:10:01.2	167	0:08.35	8.35	The moon disappears on the horizon, and slowly disappears entirely.Template:Only
Template:ClockPhase	07:00:00.0	1000	0:50	50	Time when using the Template:Cmd command.
Template:ClockPhase	08:00:00.0	2000	1:40	100	Villagers begin their workday.Template:Only Minecraft:Nitwits awaken from their beds.Template:Only
Template:ClockPhase	11:43:22.8	5723	4:46.15	286.15	The clock starts showing exactly midday.
Template:ClockPhase	12:00:00.0	6000	5:00	300	Noon; the sun is at its peak.
					Time when using the Template:Cmd command.
Template:ClockPhase	14:00:00.0	8000		400	Villagers begin socializing.Template:Only
Template:ClockPhase	15:00:00.0	9000	7:30	450	Villagers end their workday and begin socializing.Template:Only
Template:ClockPhase	16:00:00.0	10000		500	Villagers end socializing and start working again.Template:Only
Template:ClockPhase	17:50:02.4	11834	9:41.7	591.7	The moon appears on the horizon.
Template:ClockPhase	18:00:00.0	12000	10:00	600	Beginning of the Minecraft sunset. Time when using the Template:CmdTemplate:Only command. Villagers go to their beds and sleep.
Template:ClockPhase	18:00:36.0	12010	10:00.5	600.5	In rainy weather, beds can be used at this point. In rainy weather, the internal sky-light level begins to decrease. In rainy weather, Minecraft:creakings start to spawn.
Template:ClockPhase	18:02:24.0	12040	10:02	602	In sunny weather, the internal sky-light level begins to decrease.
Template:ClockPhase	18:32:31.2	12542	10:27.1	627.1	In clear weather, beds can be used at this point. In clear weather, bees enter the nest/hive for the night. In clear weather, undead mobs no longer burn. In clear weather, creakings start to spawn.
Template:ClockPhase	18:36:00.0	12600	10:30	630	Minecraft:Eyeblossoms start opening.
Template:ClockPhase	18:36:36.0	12610	10:30.5	630.5	The clock shows exactly dusk (day to night).
Template:ClockPhase	18:47:09.6	12786	10:39.3	639.3	The solar zenith angle is 0. Horizon stops getting darker.
Template:ClockPhase	18:58:08.4	12969	10:48.45	648.45	First tick when monsters spawn outdoors in rainy weather.<ref group="note" name="spawn-before-redstone">Time of day measured by the first time Minecraft:commands are executed after the spawn cycle.</ref>
Template:ClockPhase	19:00:00.0	13000	10:50	650	Beginning of the Minecraft night. Time when using the Template:Cmd command.
Template:ClockPhase	19:11:16.8	13188	10:59.4	659.4	First tick when monsters spawn outdoors in clear weather.<ref group="note" name="spawn-before-redstone" />
Template:ClockPhase	19:40:12.0	13670	11:23.5	683.5	The internal sky-light level reaches 4, the minimum at night.
Template:ClockPhase	19:42:07.2	13702	11:25.1	685.1	The sun disappears on the horizon.
Template:ClockPhase	23:50:34.8	17843	14:52.7	892.15	The clock starts showing exactly midnight.
Template:ClockPhase	00:00:00.0	18000	15:00	900	Midnight; the moon is at its peak.
					Time when using the Template:Cmd command.
Template:ClockPhase	04:18:00.0	22300	18:35	1115	The sun appears on the horizon.
Template:ClockPhase	04:19:51.8	22331	18:36.55	1116.55	The internal sky-light level begins to increase.
Template:ClockPhase	04:48:43.2	22812Template:Only	19:00.6	1140.6	Last tick when monsters spawn outdoors in clear weather.<ref group="note" name="spawn-before-redstone" />
Template:ClockPhase	04:48:46.8	22813Template:Only	19:00.65	1140.65
Template:ClockPhase	05:00:00.0	23000	19:10	1150	Beginning of the Minecraft sunrise. Time when using the Template:CmdTemplate:Only command.
Template:ClockPhase	05:01:51.6	23031	19:11.55	1151.55	Last tick when monsters spawn outdoors in rainy weather.<ref group="note" name="spawn-before-redstone" />
Template:ClockPhase	05:02:27.6	23041	19:12.1	1152.05	The clock starts showing exactly dawn.
Template:ClockPhase	05:12:57.6	23216	19:20.8	1160.8	The solar zenith angle is 0.
Template:ClockPhase	05:24:03.6	23401	19:30.5	1170.5	Eyeblossoms start closing.
Template:ClockPhase	05:27:36.0	23460	19:33	1173	In clear weather, beds can no longer be used. In clear weather, bees leave the nest/hive. In clear weather, undead mobs begin to burn. In clear weather, creakings begin to despawn.
Template:ClockPhase	05:57:39.6	23961	19:58.1	1198.05	In sunny weather, the internal sky-light level reaches 15, the maximum. Horizon stops getting brighter.
Template:ClockPhase	05:59:31.2	23992	19:59.6	1199.6	In rainy weather, beds can no longer be used. In rainy weather, the internal sky-light level reaches 12, the maximum. In rainy weather, creakings begin to despawn.

Daytime

File:Survival.png

This is the start of a new day.

Daytime, not including sunset and sunrise, is 10 minutes long.

• Start: 0 ticks (06:00:00.0)
• Mid: 6000 ticks (12:00:00.0)
• End: 12000 ticks (18:00:00.0)

When a Minecraft:player first spawns in Minecraft:singleplayer, the daylight cycle always starts at the beginning of the daytime (0:00). New worlds on Minecraft:multiplayer servers also start at the beginning of the daytime, but the daylight cycle continues regardless of any new players joining.

During the daytime, the Minecraft:sun rises up to its peak in a light blue sky. The exact color of the Minecraft:sky and Minecraft:fog during clear weather depends on the current Minecraft:biome; for example, Minecraft:desert skies are a lighter shade of blue than Minecraft:plains skies. The Minecraft:moon is not visible below the world during daytime Template:In.

With Minecraft:Vibrant Visuals, biomes have more unique sky, fog, and cloud colors and sunlight is also colored depending on the biome; scattering and lighting effects are constantly changing during the daylight cycle. This is calculated through linear interpolation between set key frames, with keys using a 0-1 range for the daylight cycle: 0 is noon, 0.25 is sunset, 0.5 midnight, 0.75 sunrise, and 1 is the next noon (see conversion formula). For detailed information about graphical effects changing with the daylight cycle, see Minecraft:Vibrant Visuals/Configurations.

All blocks that are in direct vertical view of the sky receive sunlight at the Minecraft:internal sky light level 15, which is the maximum. Sunlight provides ample light for the growth of Minecraft:saplings and Minecraft:grass blocks. Most Minecraft:undead mobs (including Minecraft:zombies and Minecraft:skeletons) exposed to direct sunlight (and are not in shade, in Minecraft:water, or wearing Minecraft:helmets) are set on fire. Additionally, sunlight renders Minecraft:spiders neutral, unless they are currently chasing a Minecraft:player, and any Minecraft:endermen exposed to sunlight teleport randomly when near the player and randomly become neutral if having been aggressive for at least 30 seconds. For more details see Light § Effects of light.

Sunset/dusk

File:A sunset.png

Example sunset seen from a high spot on the map

Sunset is the period between daytime and nighttime, and always lasts 50 seconds.

• Start: 12000 ticks (18:00:00.0)
• End: 13000 ticks (19:00:00.0)

During sunset, the sun descends on the western horizon, and the Minecraft:moon rises on the eastern horizon. The fog near the setting sun turns into a vibrant orange-red, which is a set region of the sky Template:In, or the whole horizon while the camera is facing near the sun Template:In. Ambient lighting and clouds also turn orange during sunset in Bedrock Edition. With Vibrant Visuals, more different sky and lighting colors are applied depending on the biome. The Minecraft:internal sky light level decreases. Eventually, undead mobs exposed to direct sunlight are set not to burn.

Between dusk and dawn, players may sleep in a Minecraft:bed. In singleplayer mode, doing so advances the daylight cycle to dawn and sets the Minecraft:weather to clear. This also occurs in multiplayer as long as every player online is in a bed simultaneously. Time does not pass for other aspects of the world, however; for example, crops do not grow and Minecraft:furnaces do not cook or smelt as they would when players are awake.

File:TundraNight.png

A snowy tundra biome during the night; various mobs can be seen

Nighttime

Template:RedirectNighttime lasts 8 minutes and 20 seconds.

• Start: 13000 ticks (19:00:00.0)
• Mid: 18000 ticks (00:00:00.0)
• End: 23000 ticks (05:00:00.0)

During the night, the moon rises to its peak in a pure black sky dotted with small white Minecraft:stars, while the sun isn't visible below the world in Bedrock Edition. The stars appear to move with the moon and can be first seen toward the end of the sunset. Clouds are black and more transparent, and the fog is colored dark blue. Minecraft:Night Vision can increase the brightness and the fog color.

During the nighttime, the world is covered in darkness; the Minecraft:internal sky light level falls to a minimum of 4, which allows Minecraft:hostile mobs to spawn on the surface. The exact duration for which hostile mobs are able to spawn in exposed areas is 13188 ticks.<ref group="note" name="spawn-before-redstone" />

Regardless of the low Minecraft:internal sky light level, crops continue to grow during the night as long as they have sufficient clientTemplate:Only or internalTemplate:Only light level, and at least one player is not sleeping to avoid skipping the night.<ref group="note">The percentage of players that need to be asleep to skip a night is controlled by the gamerule Template:Cd.</ref>

File:Sunrise.png

Example of the sun rising in the horizon

Sunrise/dawn

Template:Distinguish Sunrise is the period between nighttime and daytime, and is the last part of the daylight cycle. It always lasts 50 seconds.

• Start: 23000 ticks (05:00:00.0)
• End: 24000 ticks (06:00:00.0)

During sunrise, the moon sets on the western horizon and the sun rises on the eastern horizon. The same graphical effects are applied to the sky as with sunset, but in reverse.

The Minecraft:internal sky light level increases. Eventually, the effects of sunlight return, dissipating the threat of most hostile mobs.

Clocks

Clock animation

Clock animation

A Minecraft:clock allows players to determine Minecraft time. A clock is useful while underground where the current day/night cycle is not visible, as they can help the player avoid mistakenly surfacing at night and falling prey to night-spawned mobs on the surface.

Clocks spin randomly in Minecraft:the Nether and Minecraft:the End, because there is no daylight cycle in those Minecraft:dimensions.

Commands

If Minecraft:commands are enabled, then it is possible to change the current time with the Template:Cmd commands, as detailed below. To enable or disable the daylight cycle, use the following command: Template:CmdTemplate:OnlyTemplate:CmdTemplate:Only Template:Cd.

Set time

Specific times can be set with the Template:Cmd command.

Syntax: /time set <number|day|noon|sunset|night|midnight|sunrise>

Examples:

Template:Cmd – Sets the time to the beginning of the Minecraft day.

Template:Cmd – Sets the time to 1000.

Template:Cmd – Sets the time to dusk/sunset.

Template:CmdTemplate:Only - Sets the time to 23000.

Template:Cmd - Sets the time to 6000.

Moon phases

Template:Main Each day that progresses adds 24000 ticks to the time counter. While each day looks the same, the Minecraft:moon appears in one of eight different phases each night. The phase of the moon can also alter some events in game.

Graph

Chart of daily events.

A graph of the events in a day

History

Trivia

• The sun and moon are both visible when standing or Minecraft:flying at a height above the terrain at approximately 1.4× the set render distance.
• The highest value of time that can be set with the Template:Cmd command is 2,147,483,647 (2³¹−1; the 32-bit integer limit). This is equivalent to 89478 days and 11647 ticks. A real-time equivalent counting from January 1, 1 CE<ref group="note">There was no year 0, the year starts at 1.</ref> would be December 25, 1581 CE at 11:28:58.8 (or January 1, 1582 CE at 17:28:58.8 if leap years are ignored).
• In Minecraft:A Minecraft Movie, while Steve was resting in his wool house, his narration describes the day as about "20 minutes".
• Using NBT editors, the largest time value that can be set is 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 (2⁶³−1; the 64-bit integer limit). After this point, the value overflows to be −2⁶³, at which point the morning and evening horizon swap and the daylight cycle progresses backward. Undead mobs burn at night instead at day. At this time, 384,307,168,202,282 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes and 25.2 Minecraft seconds would have elapsed, or 14,613,851,231 real-life years.

Gallery

In other media

• Official Template:Wikipedia T-shirt artwork "Survival" featuring the daylight cycle. Made by JINX.
  Official Template:Wikipedia T-shirt artwork "Survival" featuring the daylight cycle. Made by JINX.