Sun position in Edinburgh

Where the sun stands over Edinburgh, United Kingdom (55.9533°, -3.1883°) - 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 Edinburgh on 12 November 2026

Local time in Edinburgh, UTC+0 (standard time). On 28 March 2027 the clocks go forward one hour, so sunrise moves from 05:57 to 06:55.
Sunrise	07:43	rises toward ESE (121°)
Solar noon	11:57	sun 16.3° above the horizon
Sunset	16:10	sets toward WSW (238°)
Day length	8 h 28 min
Civil dawn	07:01	first usable light
Civil dusk	16:52	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	07:43–08:45	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	15:08–16:10	warm low light
Shadow at noon	3.43 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for 55.9533°, -3.1883° 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 Edinburgh.

The sun’s path over Edinburgh

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, 12 November
21 June
Equinox, March and September
21 December

The sun's altitude against its compass bearing over Edinburgh. On 21 June the sun rises at 43° (NE), climbs to 57.5° at solar noon and sets at 317° (NW). On 21 December the sun rises at 134° (SE), climbs to 10.6° at solar noon and sets at 226° (SW).

The sun through the year in Edinburgh

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	08:34	16:11	7 h 37 min	13.0°	4.3 m
February	07:38	17:17	9 h 39 min	21.5°	2.5 m
March	06:28	18:16	11 h 48 min	32.0°	1.6 m
April	06:08	20:19	14 h 12 min	43.9°	1 m
May	05:00	21:19	16 h 19 min	53.0°	0.8 m
June	04:26	22:01	17 h 34 min	57.4°	0.6 m
July	04:48	21:49	17 h 01 min	55.5°	0.7 m
August	05:44	20:49	15 h 06 min	48.0°	0.9 m
September	06:44	19:30	12 h 46 min	37.0°	1.3 m
October	07:44	18:12	10 h 28 min	25.4°	2.1 m
November	07:49	16:05	8 h 16 min	15.5°	3.6 m
December	08:38	15:38	7 h 00 min	10.8°	5.3 m

At the June solstice the midday sun reaches 57.5° above the horizon in Edinburgh and the day lasts 17 h 37 min. At the December solstice the sun climbs only to 10.6° and the day shrinks to 6 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.

Edinburgh through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 June	17 h 37 min, 04:26–22:03
Shortest day	21 December	6 h 58 min, 08:42–15:40
Earliest sunrise	18 June	04:26
Latest sunrise	29 December	08:44
Earliest sunset	14 December	15:38
Latest sunset	24 June	22:03
Highest midday sun	21 June	57.5°
Lowest midday sun	21 December	10.6°
Sunrise direction	through the year	43° NE (21 June) to 134° SE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	226° SW (21 December) to 317° NW (20 June)

At solar noon the sun in Edinburgh always stands due south, so the south side of a building, a garden or a roof is the one that gets the sun.
From 4 May to 7 August the sky over Edinburgh never gets fully dark: the sun stays less than 18° below the horizon all night, so there is no true astronomical night.
The earliest sunset is on 14 December, 7 days before the shortest day (21 December), and the latest sunrise on 29 December, 8 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 Edinburgh is 10 h 39 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 4.7 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 Edinburgh

Solar panels

At 56.0° N a fixed array facing due south collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 46°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates 55.9533°, -3.1883° 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 December solstice the noon sun in Edinburgh sits 10.6° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 5.3 times its own height at midday. Check what stands to the south before you commit: place the building on the map and read the shaded hours for 21 December.

Photography

Golden hour runs 07:43–08:45 in the morning and 15:08–16:10 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (238°). 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 Edinburgh

On the same latitude

Edinburgh lies at 56.0° N. 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 30 cities in the United Kingdom →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Edinburgh

What time is sunrise and sunset in Edinburgh today?

On 12 November 2026 the sun rises at 07:43 and sets at 16:10 in Edinburgh (UTC+0), giving 8 h 28 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Edinburgh today?

Solar noon is at 11:57, when the sun stands due south, 16.3° 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 Edinburgh?

On 21 June, with 17 h 37 min between sunrise at 04:26 and sunset at 22:03.

When is the shortest day of the year in Edinburgh?

On 21 December, with 6 h 58 min between sunrise at 08:42 and sunset at 15:40.

How high does the sun get in Edinburgh?

At solar noon the sun reaches 57.5° on 21 June, its highest of the year, and only 10.6° on 21 December. Today it climbs to 16.3°.

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

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 43° (NE) and 134° (SE), and sunset between 226° (SW) and 317° (NW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Edinburgh?

Facing due south (azimuth 180°) at a tilt of about 46° for the most energy over a year. A steeper tilt favours the winter months and a flatter one the summer.

Does it get dark in Edinburgh in summer?

Not fully. From 4 May to 7 August the sun stays less than 18° below the horizon all night.

When is the earliest sunset in Edinburgh?

On 14 December at 15:38, 7 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 29 December at 08:44, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in Edinburgh?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 December, but slowly at first: by 31 December the day is only 6 minutes longer, by 31 January 1 h 36 min longer and by 28 February 3 h 39 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 14 December.

What time does it get dark in Edinburgh in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 15:44 and the sky is dark by about 16:29, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 15:48 and darkness at about 16:35.