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Sunrise & Sunset in Cape Town

Today in Cape Town, South Africa the sun rises at 05:57 and sets at 19:06, giving a day length of 13h 8m. Day length changes by +2m 00s the next day.

Tomorrow

☀️ Sunrise

05:57

Bearing: ESE 103.7°

🌇 Sunset

19:06

Bearing: WSW 256.0°

🌞 Day length

13h 8m

Next day +2m 00s

🕛 Solar noon

12:31

Sun 67.0° above the horizon

Twilight phases

From darkest to brightest: the sun's angle below the horizon decides how much light there is. Times are for the date shown above.

Astronomical twilight

Begins: 04:29

Ends: 20:34

Sun is between -18° and -12° below the horizon — only the brightest stars are obscured.

Nautical twilight

Begins: 05:01

Ends: 20:02

Sun is between -12° and -6° — the horizon becomes visible at sea.

Civil twilight

Begins: 05:31

Ends: 19:31

Sun is between -6° and 0° — outdoor activities are still possible without artificial light.

Golden hour

Morning: 05:57–06:31

Evening: 18:32–19:06

Sun below 6° — soft, warm, low-angle light that photographers look for.

Blue hour

Morning: 05:31–05:42

Evening: 19:21–19:31

Sun 4°–6° below the horizon — deep blue sky, city lights on, no harsh shadows.

Solar noon & night

Solar noon: 12:31

Solar midnight: 00:31

Night is darkest at solar midnight, halfway between sunset and the next sunrise.

October 2026 — daily sunrise & sunset

Tomorrow's data →
Date Sunrise Sunset Day length Solar noon Civil dawn Civil dusk Sunrise bearing Change
1 Thu 06:24 18:49 12h 25m 12:37 05:59 19:14 E 94.1° +2m 06s
2 Fri 06:23 18:50 12h 27m 12:36 05:58 19:15 E 94.6° +2m 06s
3 Sat 06:22 18:51 12h 29m 12:36 05:57 19:16 E 95.0° +2m 06s
4 Sun 06:20 18:51 12h 31m 12:36 05:55 19:16 E 95.5° +2m 06s
5 Mon 06:19 18:52 12h 33m 12:36 05:54 19:17 E 96.0° +2m 06s
6 Tue 06:18 18:53 12h 35m 12:35 05:52 19:18 E 96.4° +2m 06s
7 Wed 06:16 18:54 12h 37m 12:35 05:51 19:19 E 96.9° +2m 06s
8 Thu 06:15 18:54 12h 39m 12:35 05:50 19:20 E 97.4° +2m 05s
9 Fri 06:14 18:55 12h 42m 12:34 05:48 19:20 E 97.8° +2m 05s
10 Sat 06:12 18:56 12h 44m 12:34 05:47 19:21 E 98.3° +2m 05s
11 Sun 06:11 18:57 12h 46m 12:34 05:46 19:22 E 98.8° +2m 05s
12 Mon 06:10 18:57 12h 48m 12:34 05:44 19:23 E 99.2° +2m 05s
13 Tue 06:08 18:58 12h 50m 12:33 05:43 19:24 E 99.7° +2m 04s
14 Wed 06:07 18:59 12h 52m 12:33 05:42 19:24 E 100.1° +2m 04s
15 Thu 06:06 19:00 12h 54m 12:33 05:40 19:25 E 100.6° +2m 04s
16 Fri 06:05 19:01 12h 56m 12:33 05:39 19:26 E 101.0° +2m 03s
17 Sat 06:03 19:01 12h 58m 12:32 05:38 19:27 ESE 101.5° +2m 03s
18 Sun 06:02 19:02 13h 0m 12:32 05:36 19:28 ESE 101.9° +2m 03s
19 Mon 06:01 19:03 13h 2m 12:32 05:35 19:29 ESE 102.3° +2m 02s
20 Tue 06:00 19:04 13h 4m 12:32 05:34 19:30 ESE 102.8° +2m 02s
21 Wed 05:59 19:05 13h 6m 12:32 05:33 19:31 ESE 103.2° +2m 01s
22 Thu 05:57 19:06 13h 8m 12:31 05:31 19:31 ESE 103.7° +2m 01s
23 Fri 05:56 19:06 13h 10m 12:31 05:30 19:32 ESE 104.1° +2m 00s
24 Sat 05:55 19:07 13h 12m 12:31 05:29 19:33 ESE 104.5° +2m 00s
25 Sun 05:54 19:08 13h 14m 12:31 05:28 19:34 ESE 104.9° +1m 59s
26 Mon 05:53 19:09 13h 16m 12:31 05:27 19:35 ESE 105.3° +1m 58s
27 Tue 05:52 19:10 13h 18m 12:31 05:26 19:36 ESE 105.8° +1m 58s
28 Wed 05:51 19:11 13h 20m 12:31 05:25 19:37 ESE 106.2° +1m 57s
29 Thu 05:50 19:12 13h 22m 12:31 05:23 19:38 ESE 106.6° +1m 56s
30 Fri 05:49 19:13 13h 24m 12:31 05:22 19:39 ESE 107.0° +1m 55s
31 Sat 05:48 19:14 13h 26m 12:31 05:21 19:40 ESE 107.4° +1m 55s

Solstices and equinoxes in Cape Town, 2026

The four turning points of the sun's year, converted to Cape Town local time. At 33.9° S the noon sun swings between 32.6° and 79.5° above the horizon over the year.

EventLocal date & timeSunriseSunsetDay lengthNoon sun
March equinox 20 March at 16:46 06:50 18:59 12h 9m 56.3°
June solstice 21 June at 10:25 07:52 17:46 9h 53m 32.6°
September equinox 23 September at 02:06 06:36 18:44 12h 8m 56.1°
December solstice 21 December at 22:50 05:33 19:57 14h 25m 79.5°

Equinox and solstice instants from Jean Meeus's algorithm (accurate to about a minute). "Noon sun" is the sun's altitude above the horizon at solar noon.

Daylight in Cape Town through the year

The longest day in Cape Town is 22 December with 14h 25m of daylight; the shortest is 21 June with 9h 53m. Day length swings by 4 h 31 min over the year, with the long days falling in the southern summer (December–January). The earliest sunrise is at 05:29 on 1 December and the latest sunset at 20:02 on 2 January — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.

Hours of daylight on the 15th of each month, 2026
0h 6h 12h 18h 24h January 15: 14h 10m of daylight 14.2 Jan February 15: 13h 18m of daylight 13.3 Feb March 15: 12h 20m of daylight 12.3 Mar April 15: 11h 15m of daylight 11.3 Apr May 15: 10h 23m of daylight 10.4 May June 15: 9h 54m of daylight 9.9 Jun July 15: 10h 6m of daylight 10.1 Jul August 15: 10h 50m of daylight 10.8 Aug September 15: 11h 51m of daylight 11.9 Sep October 15: 12h 54m of daylight 12.9 Oct November 15: 13h 52m of daylight 13.9 Nov December 15: 14h 24m of daylight 14.4 Dec
DateSunriseSunsetDay length
15 January 05:51 20:01 14h 10m
15 February 06:22 19:41 13h 18m
15 March 06:46 19:06 12h 20m
15 April 07:09 18:25 11h 15m
15 May 07:32 17:55 10h 23m
15 June 07:50 17:45 9h 54m
15 July 07:50 17:56 10h 6m
15 August 07:27 18:17 10h 50m
15 September 06:47 18:38 11h 51m
15 October 06:06 19:00 12h 54m
15 November 05:36 19:28 13h 52m
15 December 05:30 19:54 14h 24m

Sun questions for Cape Town

How high does the sun get in Cape Town?

At 33.9° S, the noon sun reaches 79.5° above the horizon at the December solstice but only 32.6° at the June solstice. It is never directly overhead this far from the equator.

How long is twilight in Cape Town?

Civil twilight — from first light until sunrise, when you can still see outdoors without lights — lasts about 25 minutes around the equinoxes and 29 minutes at midsummer in Cape Town. The farther from the equator, the shallower the sun's path and the longer twilight lasts.

When is the earliest sunrise and latest sunset in Cape Town?

The earliest sunrise is at 05:29 around 1 December and the latest sunset at 20:02 around 2 January. They don't fall on the solstice itself because solar noon drifts by up to a quarter of an hour through the year (the equation of time).

How fast do the days get longer or shorter in Cape Town?

Fastest around the equinoxes: on 15 March the day is 2m 08s shorter than the day before. Around the solstices the change slows to a few seconds a day.

Sunrise in nearby cities

All cities in South Africa →
Johannesburg Sunrise & sunset times → Durban Sunrise & sunset times → Pretoria Sunrise & sunset times →

More for Cape Town

Keep exploring Cape Town: the main city time page, current weather, moon phases, and country-wide daylight data.

Cape Town time pageMain city page with current local time and zone details.CityCape Town weatherCurrent conditions and seven-day forecast.WeatherCape Town moonMoonrise, moonset, and lunar phase information.MoonSouth Africa sunriseCountry-wide sunrise and sunset directory.CountryAfrica/JohannesburgExact IANA zone used for local solar times.IANA

About sunrise data for Cape Town

Times are calculated for Cape Town's coordinates (-33.92°, 18.42°) and shown in the Africa/Johannesburg time zone. Calculations follow standard solar geometry and account for atmospheric refraction at the horizon.

Back to time in Cape Town · Moonrise and phases