Sun position in Fortaleza

Where the sun stands over Fortaleza, Brazil (-3.7172°, -38.5431°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

Open Fortaleza on the map See the numbers

Updated daily
Local time UTC-3
Free

Sun times in Fortaleza on 4 November 2026

Local time in Fortaleza, UTC-3, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise	05:10	rises toward ESE (106°)
Solar noon	11:18	sun 78.2° above the horizon
Sunset	17:25	sets toward WSW (254°)
Day length	12 h 15 min
Civil dawn	04:49	first usable light
Civil dusk	17:47	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	05:10–05:39	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	16:57–17:25	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.21 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for -3.7172°, -38.5431° 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 Fortaleza.

The sun’s path over Fortaleza

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 Fortaleza. On 21 June the sun rises at 67° (ENE), climbs to 62.8° at solar noon and sets at 293° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 114° (ESE), climbs to 70.3° at solar noon and sets at 246° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Fortaleza

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	05:34	17:53	12 h 19 min	72.7°	0.3 m
February	05:42	17:55	12 h 13 min	81.2°	0.2 m
March	05:39	17:47	12 h 08 min	88.3°	0.0 m
April	05:33	17:35	12 h 01 min	76.4°	0.2 m
May	05:32	17:29	11 h 57 min	67.3°	0.4 m
June	05:37	17:32	11 h 55 min	63.0°	0.5 m
July	05:42	17:38	11 h 56 min	64.8°	0.5 m
August	05:39	17:38	11 h 59 min	72.4°	0.3 m
September	05:27	17:32	12 h 05 min	83.4°	0.1 m
October	05:14	17:26	12 h 11 min	85.1°	0.1 m
November	05:10	17:27	12 h 17 min	75.1°	0.3 m
December	05:19	17:40	12 h 20 min	70.4°	0.4 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 70.3° above the horizon in Fortaleza and the day lasts 12 h 20 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 62.8° and the day shrinks to 11 h 54 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.

Fortaleza through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 December	12 h 20 min, 05:22–17:43
Shortest day	21 June	11 h 54 min, 05:39–17:33
Earliest sunrise	9 November	05:10
Latest sunrise	20 July	05:43
Earliest sunset	26 October	17:25
Latest sunset	4 February	17:56
Highest midday sun	2 October	90.0°, straight overhead
Lowest midday sun	21 June	62.8°
Sunrise direction	through the year	67° ENE (21 June) to 114° ESE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	246° WSW (21 December) to 293° WNW (20 June)

From 2 October to 10 March the midday sun stands south of the zenith, and the rest of the year to the north: in Fortaleza even a south-facing window gets the noon sun for part of the year.
The sun passes straight overhead at solar noon on 11 March and 2 October: for a moment upright posts, people and buildings cast no shadow at all.
Sunset in Fortaleza moves more with the drift of solar noon than with the seasons: the earliest is at 17:25 on 26 October and the latest at 17:56 on 4 February.
Day length barely changes in Fortaleza: the longest day is only 26 minutes longer than the shortest.

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 Fortaleza

Solar panels

At 3.7° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 6°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -3.7172°, -38.5431° 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 Fortaleza sits 62.8° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 0.5 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 05:10–05:39 in the morning and 16:57–17:25 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (254°). 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 Fortaleza

On the same latitude

Fortaleza lies at 3.7° 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 Brazil →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Fortaleza

What time is sunrise and sunset in Fortaleza today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 05:10 and sets at 17:25 in Fortaleza (UTC-3), giving 12 h 15 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Fortaleza today?

Solar noon is at 11:18, when the sun stands due south, 78.2° 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 Fortaleza?

On 21 December, with 12 h 20 min between sunrise at 05:22 and sunset at 17:43.

When is the shortest day of the year in Fortaleza?

On 21 June, with 11 h 54 min between sunrise at 05:39 and sunset at 17:33.

How high does the sun get in Fortaleza?

At solar noon the sun reaches 90.0° on 2 October, its highest of the year, and only 62.8° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 78.2°.

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

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 67° (ENE) and 114° (ESE), and sunset between 246° (WSW) and 293° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Fortaleza?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 6° for the most energy over a year. A steeper tilt favours the winter months and a flatter one the summer.

When is the sun directly overhead in Fortaleza?

At solar noon on 11 March and 2 October. On those days upright objects cast no shadow at midday.