- On 27 September 2026 the sun rises in Saint Petersburg at 06:54 and sets at 18:46 local time (UTC+3).
- The day in Saint Petersburg lasts 11 h 51 min on 27 September 2026, 5 min 23 s shorter than the day before.
- Solar noon in Saint Petersburg is at 12:50, when the sun stands 28.5° above the horizon.
- The longest day of 2026 in Saint Petersburg is 21 June (18 h 50 min); the shortest is 21 December (5 h 53 min).
- Days in Saint Petersburg start getting longer after 21 December and shorter after 21 June.
What counts as sunrise and sunset?
Sunrise is the moment the upper edge of the sun appears on the horizon; sunset is the moment it disappears. Because the air bends light, the sun is seen while its centre is still 0.83° below the horizon, and the times on this page include that. Day length is the time between the two. Hills, buildings and weather change what you actually see by a few minutes.
The sun today in Saint Petersburg, from dawn to night
Every stage of the day by the clock: three kinds of dawn, sunrise, solar noon, sunset and three kinds of dusk.
| Stage | Time | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 04:31 | The sky stops being fully dark; the sun is 18° below the horizon. |
| Nautical dawn | 05:23 | The horizon at sea becomes visible; the sun is 12° below. |
| Civil dawn, first light | 06:13 | Light enough to be outside without lamps; the sun is 6° below. |
| Sunrise | 06:54 | The upper edge of the sun appears on the horizon. |
| Morning golden hour ends | 07:49 | The sun climbs above 6° and the light turns white. |
| Solar noon | 12:50 | The sun is at its highest point of the day, 28.5° above the horizon. |
| Evening golden hour begins | 17:51 | The sun drops below 6°; light turns warm and shadows long. |
| Sunset | 18:46 | The upper edge of the sun disappears below the horizon. |
| Civil dusk, last light | 19:27 | Street lamps are needed; the sun is 6° below the horizon. |
| Nautical dusk | 20:16 | The horizon at sea can no longer be seen; the sun is 12° below. |
| Night begins | 21:09 | Astronomical dusk: the sky is fully dark, the sun is 18° below. |
Sunrise and sunset times in Saint Petersburg: the next 14 days
The change column shows how much each day gains or loses against the day before.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today, 27 SepToday | 06:54 | 18:46 | 11 h 51 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Mon 28 SepMon 28 Sep | 06:56 | 18:43 | 11 h 46 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Tue 29 SepTue 29 Sep | 06:59 | 18:40 | 11 h 41 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Wed 30 SepWed 30 Sep | 07:01 | 18:37 | 11 h 35 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Thu 1 OctThu 1 Oct | 07:03 | 18:34 | 11 h 30 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Fri 2 OctFri 2 Oct | 07:06 | 18:31 | 11 h 24 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Sat 3 OctSat 3 Oct | 07:08 | 18:28 | 11 h 19 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Sun 4 OctSun 4 Oct | 07:11 | 18:25 | 11 h 14 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Mon 5 OctMon 5 Oct | 07:13 | 18:22 | 11 h 8 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Tue 6 OctTue 6 Oct | 07:15 | 18:19 | 11 h 3 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Wed 7 OctWed 7 Oct | 07:18 | 18:16 | 10 h 57 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Thu 8 OctThu 8 Oct | 07:20 | 18:13 | 10 h 52 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Fri 9 OctFri 9 Oct | 07:23 | 18:10 | 10 h 47 min | −5 min 23 s |
| Sat 10 OctSat 10 Oct | 07:25 | 18:07 | 10 h 41 min | −5 min 22 s |
Day length in Saint Petersburg in 2026, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the first day of each month. Clock changes for summer time are included.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | 10:01 | 16:04 | 6 h 2 min |
| 1 February | 09:13 | 17:11 | 7 h 58 min |
| 1 March | 07:58 | 18:24 | 10 h 26 min |
| 1 April | 06:25 | 19:40 | 13 h 15 min |
| 1 May | 04:58 | 20:54 | 15 h 56 min |
| 1 June | 03:49 | 22:04 | 18 h 15 min |
| 1 July | 03:41 | 22:24 | 18 h 42 min |
| 1 August | 04:39 | 21:31 | 16 h 51 min |
| 1 September | 05:53 | 20:05 | 14 h 11 min |
| 1 October | 07:03 | 18:34 | 11 h 30 min |
| 1 November | 08:20 | 17:05 | 8 h 45 min |
| 1 December | 09:32 | 16:03 | 6 h 30 min |
Equinoxes and solstices 2026
The four turning points of the year, with the time in this city’s zone (UTC+3) and the length of that day.
| Event | Date | Time | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring equinox (March) | 20 March | 17:45 UTC+3 | 12 h 9 min |
| Summer solstice (June) | 21 June | 11:24 UTC+3 | 18 h 50 min |
| Autumn equinox (September) | 23 September | 03:05 UTC+3 | 12 h 13 min |
| Winter solstice (December) | 21 December | 23:50 UTC+3 | 5 h 53 min |
The longest and shortest day in Saint Petersburg
The longest day of 2026 in Saint Petersburg is 21 June, the day of the summer solstice: 18 h 50 min from sunrise to sunset. The shortest is 21 December, the winter solstice: 5 h 53 min. The difference between the two is 12 h 57 min.
By the clock the extremes fall on other dates. The earliest sunset in Saint Petersburg is at 15:52 on 17 December, and the latest sunrise at 10:02 on 27 December. The latest sunset is at 22:26 on 24 June, the earliest sunrise at 03:35 on 19 June.
Why day length changes through the year
The Earth’s axis is tilted 23.44° to the plane of its orbit. For half of the year the northern hemisphere leans towards the sun and its days are longer than its nights; for the other half it leans away. On the two equinoxes, in March and September, day and night are nearly equal everywhere.
The further a place is from the equator, the bigger the swing. At the equator the day stays close to 12 hours all year. At 55° north it runs from about 7 hours in December to more than 17 in June. Beyond the polar circles the sun does not set for part of the summer and does not rise for part of the winter.
Day length changes fastest around the equinoxes and barely at all around the solstices, which is why the evenings seem to close in so quickly in autumn.
Civil, nautical and astronomical twilight
Twilight is the time when the sun is below the horizon but the sky is still lit. It is divided by how far below the horizon the sun is.
| Twilight | Today | Sun below horizon | What you can see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil | 06:13–06:5418:46–19:27 | 0° to 6° | Enough light to read outside; the brightest planets appear. |
| Nautical | 05:23–06:1319:27–20:16 | 6° to 12° | The horizon is still visible at sea; bright stars are out. |
| Astronomical | 04:31–05:2320:16–21:09 | 12° to 18° | The sky looks dark to the eye; the faintest stars are still washed out. |
Golden hour today
Golden hour is the time just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the sun is less than 6° above the horizon and its light is warm and soft. In Saint Petersburg the morning golden hour lasts from 06:54 to 07:49 today, and the evening one from 17:51 to sunset at 18:46. The blue hour follows sunset and ends around civil dusk, 19:27.
When do the days start getting longer?
In the northern hemisphere days start getting longer after the December solstice, on 21 December, and keep growing until the June solstice, on 21 June. After that they shorten again. The first gains are a few seconds a day; by the March equinox the day grows by several minutes every day.
Sunrise and sunset today by city
Questions people ask
What time is sunrise today in Saint Petersburg?
On 27 September 2026 the sun rises in Saint Petersburg at 06:54 local time (UTC+3). First light, the start of civil twilight, is at 06:13.
What time is sunset today in Saint Petersburg?
On 27 September 2026 the sun sets in Saint Petersburg at 18:46 local time. It stays light enough to be outside without lamps until civil dusk at 19:27.
How long is the day today?
In Saint Petersburg the day lasts 11 h 51 min from sunrise to sunset on 27 September 2026, which is 5 min 23 s shorter than the day before.
When do the days start getting longer?
After the December solstice. In 2026 it falls on 21 December; from the next day each day is a little longer until the June solstice.
What is the longest day of the year in Saint Petersburg?
The day of the summer solstice, 21 June, with 18 h 50 min of daylight. The shortest is 21 December, with 5 h 53 min.
What is the difference between sunset and dusk?
Sunset is a moment: the sun’s upper edge goes below the horizon. Dusk is the end of the twilight that follows. Civil dusk comes when the sun is 6° below the horizon, usually 25 to 45 minutes after sunset in middle latitudes and longer further north.
Why is the earliest sunset not on the shortest day?
Solar noon drifts through the year by up to 16 minutes either way, because the Earth’s orbit is an ellipse and its axis is tilted. Around the December solstice noon moves later each day, so the earliest sunset comes about a week or two before the solstice and the latest sunrise a week or two after it.
Are the times the same every year?
Almost. On the same calendar date sunrise and sunset shift by up to a minute or two from year to year, mostly because of leap years. The tables on this page are calculated for the current year.
- NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory: Solar Calculator, equations for sunrise, sunset and solar noon.
- Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed., 1998 (solar coordinates; equinoxes and solstices, chapter 27).
- U.S. Naval Observatory: definitions of rise, set and twilight.
- IANA Time Zone Database (local time and summer time rules).
All times are calculated on the server from the city’s coordinates with the NOAA solar equations, for a flat horizon and standard atmospheric refraction, and shown in the city’s own time zone. They agree with almanacs to within a minute. The page is recalculated on every visit.