diff --git a/4-seasons.sh b/4-seasons.sh
index 1d4450e..df1ecd3 100755
--- a/4-seasons.sh
+++ b/4-seasons.sh
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ echo "Processing: $yesterday"
 
 # ── Season / movement info from astronomical calculation ──────────────────────
 _season_info="$(python3 "$SCRIPT_DIR/season_info.py" "$yesterday")" || {
-    echo "Error: season_info.py failed — check Python dependencies (suntime pytz)"
+    echo "Error: season_info.py failed — check Python dependencies (pytz)"
     exit 1
 }
 eval "$_season_info"
diff --git a/bootstrap.sh b/bootstrap.sh
index ca00f93..0f8a5b9 100755
--- a/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/bootstrap.sh
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ echo ""
 echo "Done. Next steps:"
 echo "  1. Install system packages (if not already present):"
 echo "       sudo apt install ffmpeg bc fonts-dejavu"
-echo "       pip3 install suntime pytz requests"
-echo "       pip3 install skyfield Pillow numpy scipy   # moon jobs (moon-track, moon-phase-monthly)"
+echo "       pip3 install pytz requests skyfield"
+echo "       pip3 install Pillow numpy scipy   # moon jobs (moon-track, moon-phase-monthly)"
 echo ""
 echo "  2. Edit $TARGET/sky-cam.conf"
 echo "     — SCRIPT_DIR   full path to the directory you'll run scripts from"
diff --git a/montage-mvt.sh b/montage-mvt.sh
index 2d79fc7..c01db83 100755
--- a/montage-mvt.sh
+++ b/montage-mvt.sh
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ ATTR_FADE="$MONTAGE_ATTR_FADE"
 
 # ── Season / movement info ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 _season_info="$(python3 "$SCRIPT_DIR/season_info.py" ${DATE_ARG:+"$DATE_ARG"})" || {
-    echo "Error: season_info.py failed — check Python dependencies (suntime pytz)"
+    echo "Error: season_info.py failed — check Python dependencies (pytz)"
     exit 1
 }
 eval "$_season_info"
diff --git a/sunrise.py b/sunrise.py
index 1db47d1..bb04a99 100755
--- a/sunrise.py
+++ b/sunrise.py
@@ -1,13 +1,24 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
-from datetime import datetime
+"""sunrise.py — compute today's local sunrise time using skyfield.
+
+Outputs:  YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS  (local time, no timezone suffix)
+Exits non-zero with a message on stderr if the sun does not rise today
+(polar night or midnight sun).
+
+Reads LATITUDE, LONGITUDE, TIMEZONE from sky-cam.conf / .env.
+Requires skyfield and the de421.bsp ephemeris alongside this script
+(skyfield downloads de421.bsp automatically on first use if absent).
+"""
+
+from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
 import pathlib
 import re
 
 import pytz
-from suntime import Sun
 
 _here = pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent
 
+
 def _read_conf(path):
     conf = {}
     try:
@@ -30,6 +41,7 @@ def _read_conf(path):
         pass
     return conf
 
+
 conf = _read_conf(_here / 'sky-cam.conf')
 # .env overrides sky-cam.conf — mirrors the sourcing order at the bottom of sky-cam.conf
 conf.update(_read_conf(_here / '.env'))
@@ -42,9 +54,41 @@ latitude  = float(conf['LATITUDE'])
 longitude = float(conf['LONGITUDE'])
 tz        = pytz.timezone(conf['TIMEZONE'])
 
-sun = Sun(latitude, longitude)
-now = datetime.now(tz)
-sunrise_utc = sun.get_sunrise_time(now)
-sunrise_time = sunrise_utc.astimezone(tz)
+# Search the full local calendar day (midnight→midnight) expressed in UTC.
+# This bracket is timezone-correct and handles any UTC offset, including large
+# positive offsets (UTC+12/+14) where local midnight falls on the previous UTC day.
+now_local     = datetime.now(tz)
+midnight_local = now_local.replace(hour=0, minute=0, second=0, microsecond=0)
+t0_utc = midnight_local.astimezone(timezone.utc)
+t1_utc = t0_utc + timedelta(hours=25)   # 25 h covers any timezone's full day
 
-print(sunrise_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'))
+from skyfield.api import Loader, wgs84
+from skyfield.almanac import find_discrete, sunrise_sunset
+
+loader = Loader(str(_here), verbose=False)
+ts     = loader.timescale()
+eph    = loader('de421.bsp')          # downloaded automatically on first run
+topos  = wgs84.latlon(latitude, longitude)
+
+t0 = ts.from_datetime(t0_utc)
+t1 = ts.from_datetime(t1_utc)
+
+times, events = find_discrete(t0, t1, sunrise_sunset(eph, topos))
+
+# events: True = sunrise, False = sunset — pick the first sunrise on today's date
+sunrise_local = None
+for t, is_rise in zip(times, events):
+    if is_rise:
+        candidate = t.utc_datetime().astimezone(tz)
+        if candidate.date() == now_local.date():
+            sunrise_local = candidate
+            break
+
+if sunrise_local is None:
+    raise SystemExit(
+        "sunrise.py: no sunrise found for today "
+        f"({now_local.date()} at {latitude:.4f}°, {longitude:.4f}°) — "
+        "polar night or midnight sun?"
+    )
+
+print(sunrise_local.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'))