Sun position in Nantes

Where the sun stands over Nantes, France (47.2172°, -1.5534°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

Open Nantes on the map See the numbers

Updated daily
Local time UTC+1
Free

Sun times in Nantes on 4 November 2026

Local time in Nantes, UTC+1 (standard time). On 28 March 2027 the clocks go forward one hour, so sunrise moves from 06:56 to 07:54.
Sunrise	07:54	rises toward ESE (112°)
Solar noon	12:50	sun 27.3° above the horizon
Sunset	17:45	sets toward WSW (248°)
Day length	9 h 52 min
Civil dawn	07:21	first usable light
Civil dusk	18:17	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	07:54–08:39	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	17:00–17:45	warm low light
Shadow at noon	1.94 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for 47.2172°, -1.5534° 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 Nantes.

The sun’s path over Nantes

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 Nantes. On 21 June the sun rises at 53° (NE), climbs to 66.2° at solar noon and sets at 307° (NW). On 21 December the sun rises at 125° (SE), climbs to 19.3° at solar noon and sets at 235° (SW).

The sun through the year in Nantes

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	08:48	17:43	8 h 55 min	21.7°	2.5 m
February	08:11	18:30	10 h 19 min	30.2°	1.7 m
March	07:19	19:12	11 h 52 min	40.8°	1.2 m
April	07:18	20:55	13 h 37 min	52.7°	0.8 m
May	06:30	21:36	15 h 05 min	61.7°	0.5 m
June	06:10	22:04	15 h 54 min	66.1°	0.4 m
July	06:25	21:58	15 h 33 min	64.3°	0.5 m
August	07:03	21:18	14 h 15 min	56.7°	0.7 m
September	07:44	20:18	12 h 35 min	45.7°	1 m
October	08:24	19:19	10 h 54 min	34.2°	1.5 m
November	08:10	17:31	9 h 21 min	24.2°	2.2 m
December	08:46	17:17	8 h 31 min	19.5°	2.8 m

At the June solstice the midday sun reaches 66.2° above the horizon in Nantes and the day lasts 15 h 56 min. At the December solstice the sun climbs only to 19.3° and the day shrinks to 8 h 29 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.

Nantes through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 June	15 h 56 min, 06:10–22:06
Shortest day	21 December	8 h 29 min, 08:50–17:19
Earliest sunrise	16 June	06:10
Latest sunrise	1 January	08:53
Earliest sunset	11 December	17:16
Latest sunset	26 June	22:06
Highest midday sun	21 June	66.2°
Lowest midday sun	21 December	19.3°
Sunrise direction	through the year	53° NE (21 June) to 125° SE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	235° SW (21 December) to 307° NW (21 June)

At solar noon the sun in Nantes always stands due south, so the south side of a building, a garden or a roof is the one that gets the sun.
The earliest sunset is on 11 December, 10 days before the shortest day (21 December), and the latest sunrise on 1 January, 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 Nantes is 7 h 27 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 3.4 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 Nantes

Solar panels

At 47.2° N a fixed array facing due south collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 39°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates 47.2172°, -1.5534° 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 Nantes sits 19.3° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 2.8 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 07:54–08:39 in the morning and 17:00–17:45 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (248°). 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 Nantes

On the same latitude

Nantes lies at 47.2° 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 8 cities in France →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Nantes

What time is sunrise and sunset in Nantes today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 07:54 and sets at 17:45 in Nantes (UTC+1), giving 9 h 52 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Nantes today?

Solar noon is at 12:50, when the sun stands due south, 27.3° 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 Nantes?

On 21 June, with 15 h 56 min between sunrise at 06:10 and sunset at 22:06.

When is the shortest day of the year in Nantes?

On 21 December, with 8 h 29 min between sunrise at 08:50 and sunset at 17:19.

How high does the sun get in Nantes?

At solar noon the sun reaches 66.2° on 21 June, its highest of the year, and only 19.3° on 21 December. Today it climbs to 27.3°.

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

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 53° (NE) and 125° (SE), and sunset between 235° (SW) and 307° (NW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Nantes?

Facing due south (azimuth 180°) at a tilt of about 39° 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 Nantes?

On 11 December at 17:16, 10 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 1 January at 08:53, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in Nantes?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 December, but slowly at first: by 31 December the day is only 4 minutes longer, by 31 January 1 h 04 min longer and by 28 February 2 h 32 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 11 December.

What time does it get dark in Nantes in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 17:18 and the sky is dark by about 17:53, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 17:26 and darkness at about 18:01.