Sun position in East London

Where the sun stands over East London, South Africa (-33.0153°, 27.9116°) - 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 East London on 4 November 2026

Local time in East London, UTC+2, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise	05:07	rises toward ESE (109°)
Solar noon	11:52	sun 72.4° above the horizon
Sunset	18:38	sets toward WSW (251°)
Day length	13 h 31 min
Civil dawn	04:40	first usable light
Civil dusk	19:04	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	05:07–05:41	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	18:04–18:38	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.32 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for -33.0153°, 27.9116° 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 East London.

The sun’s path over East London

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.

Today, 4 November
21 June
Equinox, March and September
21 December

The sun's altitude against its compass bearing over East London. On 21 June the sun rises at 62° (ENE), climbs to 33.5° at solar noon and sets at 298° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 119° (ESE), climbs to 80.4° at solar noon and sets at 241° (WSW).

The sun through the year in East London

Sunrise, sunset, day length, noon altitude and noon shadow on the 15th of each month, on the local clock
Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Noon altitude	Noon shadow
January	05:15	19:20	14 h 05 min	78.1°	0.2 m
February	05:45	19:00	13 h 15 min	69.6°	0.4 m
March	06:08	18:26	12 h 18 min	59.0°	0.6 m
April	06:30	17:46	11 h 16 min	47.1°	0.9 m
May	06:52	17:17	10 h 26 min	38.1°	1.3 m
June	07:09	17:08	9 h 59 min	33.7°	1.5 m
July	07:09	17:20	10 h 10 min	35.5°	1.4 m
August	06:46	17:40	10 h 54 min	43.0°	1.1 m
September	06:08	18:00	11 h 52 min	54.0°	0.7 m
October	05:28	18:21	12 h 53 min	65.6°	0.5 m
November	04:58	18:48	13 h 49 min	75.5°	0.3 m
December	04:54	19:13	14 h 19 min	80.3°	0.2 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 80.4° above the horizon in East London and the day lasts 14 h 20 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 33.5° and the day shrinks to 9 h 58 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.

East London through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 December	14 h 20 min, 04:56–19:17
Shortest day	21 June	9 h 58 min, 07:11–17:09
Earliest sunrise	5 December	04:52
Latest sunrise	30 June	07:12
Earliest sunset	11 June	17:08
Latest sunset	7 January	19:21
Highest midday sun	21 December	80.4°
Lowest midday sun	21 June	33.5°
Sunrise direction	through the year	62° ENE (21 June) to 119° ESE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	241° WSW (21 December) to 298° WNW (21 June)

At solar noon the sun in East London 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 11 June, 10 days before the shortest day (21 June), and the latest sunrise on 30 June, 9 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 East London is 4 h 22 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 2.1 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 East London

Solar panels

At 33.0° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 28°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -33.0153°, 27.9116° 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 East London sits 33.5° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 1.5 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 05:07–05:41 in the morning and 18:04–18:38 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (251°). 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 East London

On the same latitude

East London lies at 33.0° 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 East London

What time is sunrise and sunset in East London today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 05:07 and sets at 18:38 in East London (UTC+2), giving 13 h 31 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in East London today?

Solar noon is at 11:52, when the sun stands due north, 72.4° 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 East London?

On 21 December, with 14 h 20 min between sunrise at 04:56 and sunset at 19:17.

When is the shortest day of the year in East London?

On 21 June, with 9 h 58 min between sunrise at 07:11 and sunset at 17:09.

How high does the sun get in East London?

At solar noon the sun reaches 80.4° on 21 December, its highest of the year, and only 33.5° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 72.4°.

In which direction does the sun rise and set in East London?

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 62° (ENE) and 119° (ESE), and sunset between 241° (WSW) and 298° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in East London?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 28° 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 East London?

On 11 June at 17:08, 10 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 30 June at 07:12, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in East London?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 June, but slowly at first: by 30 June the day is only 2 minutes longer, by 31 July 32 minutes longer and by 31 August 1 h 25 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 11 June.

What time does it get dark in East London in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 19:02 and the sky is dark by about 19:31, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 19:20 and darkness at about 19:49.