- On 18 October 2026 the sun rises in Sydney at 06:10 and sets at 19:10 local time (UTC+11).
- The day in Sydney lasts 13 h 0 min on 18 October 2026, 2 min 2 s longer than the day before.
- Solar noon in Sydney is at 12:40, when the sun stands 65.7° above the horizon.
- The longest day of 2026 in Sydney is 22 December (14 h 24 min); the shortest is 21 June (9 h 53 min).
- Days in Sydney start getting longer after 21 June and shorter after 22 December.
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 Sydney, 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 | 04:43 | The sky stops being fully dark; the sun is 18° below the horizon. |
| Nautical dawn | 05:14 | The horizon at sea becomes visible; the sun is 12° below. |
| Civil dawn, first light | 05:45 | Light enough to be outside without lamps; the sun is 6° below. |
| Sunrise | 06:10 | The upper edge of the sun appears on the horizon. |
| Morning golden hour ends | 06:44 | The sun climbs above 6° and the light turns white. |
| Solar noon | 12:40 | The sun is at its highest point of the day, 65.7° above the horizon. |
| Evening golden hour begins | 18:37 | The sun drops below 6°; light turns warm and shadows long. |
| Sunset | 19:10 | The upper edge of the sun disappears below the horizon. |
| Civil dusk, last light | 19:36 | Street lamps are needed; the sun is 6° below the horizon. |
| Nautical dusk | 20:06 | The horizon at sea can no longer be seen; the sun is 12° below. |
| Night begins | 20:38 | Astronomical dusk: the sky is fully dark, the sun is 18° below. |
Sunrise and sunset times in Sydney: 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, 18 OctToday | 06:10 | 19:10 | 13 h 0 min | +2 min 2 s |
| Mon 19 OctMon 19 Oct | 06:09 | 19:11 | 13 h 2 min | +2 min 2 s |
| Tue 20 OctTue 20 Oct | 06:08 | 19:12 | 13 h 4 min | +2 min 1 s |
| Wed 21 OctWed 21 Oct | 06:07 | 19:13 | 13 h 6 min | +2 min 1 s |
| Thu 22 OctThu 22 Oct | 06:06 | 19:14 | 13 h 8 min | +2 min 0 s |
| Fri 23 OctFri 23 Oct | 06:04 | 19:15 | 13 h 10 min | +2 min 0 s |
| Sat 24 OctSat 24 Oct | 06:03 | 19:15 | 13 h 12 min | +1 min 59 s |
| Sun 25 OctSun 25 Oct | 06:02 | 19:16 | 13 h 14 min | +1 min 59 s |
| Mon 26 OctMon 26 Oct | 06:01 | 19:17 | 13 h 16 min | +1 min 58 s |
| Tue 27 OctTue 27 Oct | 06:00 | 19:18 | 13 h 18 min | +1 min 57 s |
| Wed 28 OctWed 28 Oct | 05:59 | 19:19 | 13 h 19 min | +1 min 57 s |
| Thu 29 OctThu 29 Oct | 05:58 | 19:20 | 13 h 21 min | +1 min 56 s |
| Fri 30 OctFri 30 Oct | 05:57 | 19:21 | 13 h 23 min | +1 min 55 s |
| Sat 31 OctSat 31 Oct | 05:56 | 19:22 | 13 h 25 min | +1 min 54 s |
Day length in Sydney 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 | 05:48 | 20:09 | 14 h 21 min |
| 1 February | 06:17 | 20:01 | 13 h 44 min |
| 1 March | 06:43 | 19:32 | 12 h 49 min |
| 1 April | 07:07 | 18:51 | 11 h 44 min |
| 1 May | 06:30 | 17:15 | 10 h 45 min |
| 1 June | 06:51 | 16:54 | 10 h 2 min |
| 1 July | 07:01 | 16:57 | 9 h 55 min |
| 1 August | 06:48 | 17:15 | 10 h 27 min |
| 1 September | 06:14 | 17:37 | 11 h 22 min |
| 1 October | 05:33 | 17:57 | 12 h 24 min |
| 1 November | 05:55 | 19:23 | 13 h 27 min |
| 1 December | 05:37 | 19:51 | 14 h 13 min |
Equinoxes and solstices 2026
The four turning points of the year, with the time in this city’s zone (UTC+11) and the length of that day.
| Event | Date | Time | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn equinox (March) | 21 March | 01:45 UTC+11 | 12 h 7 min |
| Winter solstice (June) | 21 June | 18:24 UTC+10 | 9 h 53 min |
| Spring equinox (September) | 23 September | 10:05 UTC+10 | 12 h 8 min |
| Summer solstice (December) | 22 December | 07:50 UTC+11 | 14 h 24 min |
The longest and shortest day in Sydney
The longest day of 2026 in Sydney is 22 December, the day of the December solstice: 14 h 24 min from sunrise to sunset. The shortest is 21 June, the June solstice: 9 h 53 min. The difference between the two is 4 h 30 min.
By the clock the extremes fall on other dates. The earliest sunset in Sydney is at 16:53 on 12 June, and the latest sunrise at 07:09 on 4 April. The latest sunset is at 20:10 on 7 January, the earliest sunrise at 05:30 on 3 October.
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 | 05:45–06:1019:10–19:36 | 0° to 6° | Enough light to read outside; the brightest planets appear. |
| Nautical | 05:14–05:4519:36–20:06 | 6° to 12° | The horizon is still visible at sea; bright stars are out. |
| Astronomical | 04:43–05:1420:06–20:38 | 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 Sydney the morning golden hour lasts from 06:10 to 06:44 today, and the evening one from 18:37 to sunset at 19:10. The blue hour follows sunset and ends around civil dusk, 19:36.
When do the days start getting longer?
In the southern hemisphere days start getting longer after the June solstice, on 21 June, and keep growing until the December solstice, on 22 December. After that they shorten again. The first gains are a few seconds a day; by the September equinox the day grows by several minutes every day.
Sunrise and sunset today by city
Questions people ask
What time is sunrise today in Sydney?
On 18 October 2026 the sun rises in Sydney at 06:10 local time (UTC+11). First light, the start of civil twilight, is at 05:45.
What time is sunset today in Sydney?
On 18 October 2026 the sun sets in Sydney at 19:10 local time. It stays light enough to be outside without lamps until civil dusk at 19:36.
How long is the day today?
In Sydney the day lasts 13 h 0 min from sunrise to sunset on 18 October 2026, which is 2 min 2 s longer than the day before.
When do the days start getting longer?
After the June solstice. In 2026 it falls on 21 June; from the next day each day is a little longer until the December solstice.
What is the longest day of the year in Sydney?
The day of the December solstice, 22 December, with 14 h 24 min of daylight. The shortest is 21 June, with 9 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.