Sun position in Bloemfontein

Where the sun stands over Bloemfontein, South Africa (-29.1211°, 26.214°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

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Sun times in Bloemfontein on 4 November 2026

Local time in Bloemfontein, UTC+2, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise05:20rises toward ESE (108°)
Solar noon11:59sun 76.3° above the horizon
Sunset18:38sets toward WSW (252°)
Day length13 h 19 min 
Civil dawn04:54first usable light
Civil dusk19:04last usable light
Golden hour, morning05:20–05:52warm low light
Golden hour, evening18:06–18:38warm low light
Shadow at noon0.24 mper metre of height

Times are computed for -29.1211°, 26.214° and refreshed every day. For any other date, an exact azimuth or a shadow drawn on the map, open the interactive sun position map for Bloemfontein.

The sun’s path over Bloemfontein

How high the sun stands and where, from sunrise to sunset: today, at both solstices and at the equinox. The higher a curve climbs, the higher the sun; where a curve meets the bottom line, the sun rises or sets at that compass bearing.

Sun path over Bloemfontein 10° 20° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° S SW W NW N NE E SE S 0° 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00
  • Today, 4 November
  • 21 June
  • Equinox, March and September
  • 21 December

The sun's altitude against its compass bearing over Bloemfontein. On 21 June the sun rises at 63° (ENE), climbs to 37.4° at solar noon and sets at 297° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 118° (ESE), climbs to 84.3° at solar noon and sets at 242° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Bloemfontein

Sunrise, sunset, day length, noon altitude and noon shadow on the 15th of each month, on the local clock
MonthSunriseSunsetDay lengthNoon altitudeNoon shadow
January05:3019:1813 h 48 min82.0°0.1 m
February05:5619:0213 h 05 min73.5°0.3 m
March06:1618:3212 h 17 min62.9°0.5 m
April06:3317:5711 h 23 min51.0°0.8 m
May06:5117:3110 h 40 min42.0°1.1 m
June07:0717:2410 h 17 min37.6°1.3 m
July07:0817:3510 h 27 min39.4°1.2 m
August06:4817:5211 h 04 min46.9°0.9 m
September06:1318:0811 h 54 min57.9°0.6 m
October05:3818:2412 h 46 min69.5°0.4 m
November05:1318:4713 h 34 min79.4°0.2 m
December05:1019:1014 h 00 min84.2°0.1 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 84.3° above the horizon in Bloemfontein and the day lasts 14 h 01 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 37.4° and the day shrinks to 10 h 17 min. That difference is what decides whether a garden, a window or a solar array sees the sun in winter. The noon shadow column gives the length of the shadow of anything one metre tall.

Bloemfontein through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day21 December14 h 01 min, 05:13–19:14
Shortest day21 June10 h 17 min, 07:09–17:25
Earliest sunrise3 December05:08
Latest sunrise2 July07:10
Earliest sunset10 June17:24
Latest sunset10 January19:19
Highest midday sun21 December84.3°
Lowest midday sun21 June37.4°
Sunrise directionthrough the year63° ENE (21 June) to 118° ESE (22 December)
Sunset directionthrough the year242° WSW (21 December) to 297° WNW (21 June)
  • At solar noon the sun in Bloemfontein always stands due north, so the north side of a building, a garden or a roof is the one that gets the sun.
  • The earliest sunset is on 10 June, 11 days before the shortest day (21 June), and the latest sunrise on 2 July, 11 days after it. Solar noon drifts through the year, so the darkest afternoon and the darkest morning do not fall on the shortest day.
  • The longest day in Bloemfontein is 3 h 44 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 1.8 minutes a day.

The winter solstice 2026: the moment, and the shortest and the longest day, city by city →

When the days start getting longer: the earliest sunset, the latest sunrise and lighter evenings, city by city →

Planning around the sun in Bloemfontein

Solar panels

At 29.1° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 25°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -29.1211°, 26.214° for the exact optimum, the seasonal optima and the loss from an east or west facing roof.

Buying a flat or a plot

At the June solstice the noon sun in Bloemfontein sits 37.4° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 1.3 times its own height at midday. Check what stands to the north before you commit: place the building on the map and read the shaded hours for 21 June.

Photography

Golden hour runs 05:20–05:52 in the morning and 18:06–18:38 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (252°). The golden hour calculator gives the same windows for any date, and the map’s alignment finder shows the days when the setting sun lines up with a street.

More on planning around the sun: which way a house, garden or balcony should face, how long golden hour lasts and why the earliest sunset comes before the shortest day.

Other cities

Near Bloemfontein

On the same latitude

Bloemfontein lies at 29.1° S. On the same parallel the longest and the shortest day last just as long and the noon sun climbs just as high, whatever the clocks say there:

Sunrise and sunset in all 10 cities in South Africa →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Bloemfontein

What time is sunrise and sunset in Bloemfontein today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 05:20 and sets at 18:38 in Bloemfontein (UTC+2), giving 13 h 19 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Bloemfontein today?

Solar noon is at 11:59, when the sun stands due north, 76.3° above the horizon. It is the middle of the day by the sun and the moment shadows are shortest.

When is the longest day of the year in Bloemfontein?

On 21 December, with 14 h 01 min between sunrise at 05:13 and sunset at 19:14.

When is the shortest day of the year in Bloemfontein?

On 21 June, with 10 h 17 min between sunrise at 07:09 and sunset at 17:25.

How high does the sun get in Bloemfontein?

At solar noon the sun reaches 84.3° on 21 December, its highest of the year, and only 37.4° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 76.3°.

In which direction does the sun rise and set in Bloemfontein?

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 63° (ENE) and 118° (ESE), and sunset between 242° (WSW) and 297° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Bloemfontein?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 25° for the most energy over a year. A steeper tilt favours the winter months and a flatter one the summer.

When is the earliest sunset in Bloemfontein?

On 10 June at 17:24, 11 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 2 July at 07:10, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in Bloemfontein?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 June, but slowly at first: by 30 June the day is only 2 minutes longer, by 31 July 27 minutes longer and by 31 August 1 h 12 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 10 June.

What time does it get dark in Bloemfontein in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 19:00 and the sky is dark by about 19:27, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 19:17 and darkness at about 19:44.