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Sunrise and sunset in Cape Town
Today’s sunrise, sunset, day length and twilight in Cape Town, South Africa, with times for every month of the year.
Sunrise and sunset in Cape Town through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan | 05:51 | 20:00 | 14h 9m |
| 15 Feb | 06:21 | 19:39 | 13h 17m |
| 15 Mar | 06:45 | 19:04 | 12h 19m |
| 15 Apr | 07:09 | 18:23 | 11h 14m |
| 15 May | 07:31 | 17:53 | 10h 22m |
| 15 Jun | 07:49 | 17:44 | 9h 54m |
| 15 Jul | 07:49 | 17:55 | 10h 6m |
| 15 Aug | 07:25 | 18:16 | 10h 51m |
| 15 Sep | 06:45 | 18:37 | 11h 52m |
| 15 Oct | 06:04 | 18:59 | 12h 55m |
| 15 Nov | 05:34 | 19:27 | 13h 53m |
| 15 Dec | 05:29 | 19:53 | 14h 23m |
Today in detail
Day length through the year
Current time in Cape Town · Prayer times in Cape Town · Moonrise & moon phase in Cape Town
Sunrise & sunset in other cities
Sunrise, sunset and twilight explained
- Sunrise and sunset are the moments the top edge of the sun touches the horizon (allowing for atmospheric refraction).
- Golden hour is when the sun is less than 6° above the horizon – soft, warm light loved by photographers.
- Blue hour is when the sun is 4–6° below the horizon and the sky turns deep blue.
- Civil twilight (sun 0–6° below the horizon) is bright enough for most outdoor activities; nautical (6–12°) and astronomical twilight (12–18°) follow before full darkness.
Times are calculated with standard astronomical formulas for the city’s coordinates and are accurate to about a minute. Near the poles the sun may not rise or set at all for weeks – the calculator shows “polar day” or “polar night” when that happens.
Frequently asked questions
When is golden hour?
Golden hour starts about an hour before sunset and lasts until sunset, and again from sunrise until roughly an hour after. The exact times for any city and date are shown above.
Why is the longest day in June?
The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun around the June solstice (20–21 June), giving the longest day of the year. In the southern hemisphere the longest day is around 21–22 December.
Are sunrise times the same across a time zone?
No. Places at the eastern edge of a time zone see the sun rise earlier by the clock than places at the western edge – in a wide zone the difference can be more than an hour.