An artificial skylight for real daylight, indoors
An artificial skylight is an electric light fixture that recreates natural daylight indoors: the brightness, colour and overhead quality of light from a real roof opening, without any structural work. The best go beyond the look of a sky to deliver daylight-level brightness the body actually responds to.
Sunday Light is that kind of skylight alternative - a glowing disc, hung from the ceiling like a chandelier, producing 34,500 lumens of full-spectrum light. It is often described as the closest thing to sunlight you can buy.
What is an artificial skylight?
The word skylight covers two different things.
A structural skylight
A glazed opening cut into the roof. It gives you the real sky - and real building work: structural alterations, weatherproofing and, in some homes, planning permission. Its light follows the weather and the season, and after dark it goes black.
An artificial skylight
An electric fixture that recreates the effect of daylight from above - sometimes called an artificial daylight ceiling light or virtual skylight. Most recreate the look of a fixed sky. A daylight-class fixture also recreates what daylight does to you.
The difference that matters is physiological. Indoor spaces are typically 50-100 times dimmer than daylight outside. Your eyes adjust, so rooms feel bright, but your circadian system knows the difference. A decorative sky panel leaves that gap open. A true artificial skylight closes it - which takes serious light output, high colour quality and the engineering to run both all day.
How Sunday recreates daylight
Sunday recreates the two things that make daylight feel like daylight: the intensity of the sun and the softness of the sky.
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Sun-and-sky optics
A high-fidelity LED shines upward onto a large panel that scatters light across the room, the way the atmosphere scatters sunlight. Soft, indirect brightness rather than a glare point.
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Daylight-level output
34,500 lumens - around 10,000 lux at 60cm from the panel. For context, a well-lit office is about 500 lux.
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Sunlight-quality spectrum
A CRI of 97+ means colours look the way they do outdoors. The LEDs emit visible light only - no UV.
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Water-cooled to run all day
A sealed water-cooling loop carries heat away silently - 25 dB(A) at one metre - so daylight-level brightness can run continuously.
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Follows the sun
Colour temperature shifts from 6000K morning daylight to warm 2650K evening light, manually or on an automatic schedule via the app.
Sunday Light vs skylights, sky panels and SAD lamps
Four ways to bring more daylight into a room, compared honestly.
| Comparison criteria | Sunday Light | Roof skylight | LED sky panel | SAD lamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light output | 34,500 lumens - daylight-level brightness across a whole room | Varies with weather, season and time of day | Typically the look of a sky rather than daylight-level brightness | High intensity, but only within inches of the device |
| Coverage | A whole room - the light reaches you wherever you are in it | The area beneath the opening | The area directly beneath the panel | One person, seated close |
| Installation | Hangs like a chandelier; fitted by any qualified electrician in 1-2 hours | Structural roof work: cutting, weatherproofing, finishing | Usually recessed into a ceiling void or false ceiling | None - sits on a desk |
| Roof work or planning permission | None | Roof work always; planning permission in some homes | No roof work; ceiling alterations are common | None |
| Works after dark and in winter | Yes - full brightness on demand, all year | No - dark when the sky is dark | Yes | Yes |
| Follows the sun's colour | Yes - 2650K to 6000K, shifting through the day | Yes - it is the sun | Some models simulate it | Rarely - usually fixed cool white |
| A view of the real sky | No - a glowing disc of engineered daylight | Yes - the only option that gives you the real thing | No - an image of a sky | No |
If your roof and planning situation allow a real skylight, nothing else gives you the actual sky. Sunday is for the rooms where that is not possible - and for the hours and seasons when the sky does not deliver.
Why daylight-level brightness matters
Bright light is one of the most powerful signals your body uses to regulate sleep, mood and alertness. Regular bright light, especially in the morning, helps align your body clock and supports natural sleep timing at night. Research has consistently shown that bright light at around 10,000 lux improves mood and energy in people affected by seasonal affective disorder.
Most indoor lighting is too dim to send that signal - which is why brightness, not appearance, is the first thing to check in any artificial skylight. Sunday's approach to engineered daylight is guided by advisors including Professor Russell Foster, head of the Circadian and Neuroscience Institute at Oxford.
Specifications
- Light output
- 34,500 lumens 10,000 lux at 60cm
- Colour rendering
- CRI 97+ Visible light only - no UV
- Colour temperature
- 2650K - 6000K Follows the sun through the day
- Cooling
- Water-cooled Sealed and silent - 25 dB(A) at 1m
- Installation
- 1-2 hours Fits like a chandelier - no roof work
- Power
- 400W at full brightness About £0.09 per hour at UK rates
Artificial skylight FAQs
What is an artificial skylight?
An artificial skylight is an electric light fixture that recreates natural daylight indoors - the brightness, colour and overhead quality of a real roof opening, without any structural work. Some are decorative panels that recreate the look of a fixed sky; daylight-class fixtures like Sunday Light also recreate the brightness your body responds to.
How much does an artificial skylight cost?
It varies widely by type. A structural roof skylight is mostly a building cost, and depends on your roof. Electric sky panels span everything from inexpensive decorative units to premium sky-simulation systems that cost more than Sunday. Sunday Light is $3,950, handmade to order in London, with free worldwide delivery and all duties and taxes included.
Does an artificial skylight feel like real daylight?
The light itself is engineered to match daylight: 34,500 lumens scattered across the room the way the atmosphere scatters sunlight, with a CRI of 97+ so colours look the way they do outdoors. Sunday is often described as the closest thing to sunlight you can buy. What it does not give you is a view of the actual sky - a real roof opening remains the only way to get that.
Is an artificial skylight the same as a SAD lamp?
No. A SAD lamp focuses light on a person: high intensity at very close range, for a fixed session each day. Sunday Light produces 25-80 times the light of typical SAD lamps and builds daylight into the whole room, so meaningful light exposure happens naturally while you work, eat or move through the space.
Does it need roof or ceiling work to install?
No roof work at all. Sunday Light hangs from the ceiling at two fixing points, like a chandelier of similar weight (around 22kg), and any qualified electrician can fit it in 1-2 hours. The water-cooling loop arrives sealed and prefilled, so there is no plumbing and no maintenance. We recommend a ceiling height of at least 240cm (94 inches).
Can it run all day?
Yes - that is what it is designed for. The sealed water-cooling system lets Sunday hold daylight-level brightness continuously, effectively inaudibly at 25 dB(A) from one metre. At full brightness it draws about 400W, roughly £0.09 per hour at typical UK electricity rates, and less when dimmed.
Does an artificial skylight emit UV?
Sunday Light does not. Its LEDs emit visible light only - no UV and no infrared.
Where can I see a Sunday Light in person?
Private viewings are available by appointment at a small number of locations across the UK, Europe and the US. The quickest way to arrange one is to book a 15 minute call, or see current locations on the contact page.
More questions? Read the full FAQ or email enquiries@sundaylight.cc.