Sun position in Pietermaritzburg

Where the sun stands over Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (-29.6168°, 30.3928°) - 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 Pietermaritzburg on 4 November 2026

Local time in Pietermaritzburg, UTC+2, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise	05:02	rises toward ESE (108°)
Solar noon	11:42	sun 75.8° above the horizon
Sunset	18:22	sets toward WSW (252°)
Day length	13 h 20 min
Civil dawn	04:37	first usable light
Civil dusk	18:48	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	05:02–05:35	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	17:50–18:22	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.25 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for -29.6168°, 30.3928° 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 Pietermaritzburg.

The sun’s path over Pietermaritzburg

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 Pietermaritzburg. On 21 June the sun rises at 63° (ENE), climbs to 36.9° at solar noon and sets at 297° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 118° (ESE), climbs to 83.8° at solar noon and sets at 242° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Pietermaritzburg

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	05:13	19:03	13 h 50 min	81.5°	0.2 m
February	05:39	18:45	13 h 06 min	73.0°	0.3 m
March	05:59	18:16	12 h 17 min	62.4°	0.5 m
April	06:17	17:39	11 h 22 min	50.5°	0.8 m
May	06:35	17:14	10 h 38 min	41.5°	1.1 m
June	06:51	17:07	10 h 15 min	37.1°	1.3 m
July	06:52	17:17	10 h 25 min	38.9°	1.2 m
August	06:32	17:35	11 h 03 min	46.4°	1 m
September	05:57	17:51	11 h 54 min	57.4°	0.6 m
October	05:21	18:08	12 h 47 min	69.0°	0.4 m
November	04:55	18:31	13 h 36 min	78.9°	0.2 m
December	04:52	18:55	14 h 02 min	83.7°	0.1 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 83.8° above the horizon in Pietermaritzburg and the day lasts 14 h 03 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 36.9° and the day shrinks to 10 h 15 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.

Pietermaritzburg through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 December	14 h 03 min, 04:55–18:58
Shortest day	21 June	10 h 15 min, 06:53–17:08
Earliest sunrise	3 December	04:50
Latest sunrise	1 July	06:54
Earliest sunset	10 June	17:06
Latest sunset	9 January	19:03
Highest midday sun	21 December	83.8°
Lowest midday sun	21 June	36.9°
Sunrise direction	through the year	63° ENE (21 June) to 118° ESE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	242° WSW (21 December) to 297° WNW (21 June)

At solar noon the sun in Pietermaritzburg 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 1 July, 10 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 Pietermaritzburg is 3 h 49 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 Pietermaritzburg

Solar panels

At 29.6° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 26°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -29.6168°, 30.3928° 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 Pietermaritzburg sits 36.9° 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 05:02–05:35 in the morning and 17:50–18:22 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 Pietermaritzburg

On the same latitude

Pietermaritzburg lies at 29.6° 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 Pietermaritzburg

What time is sunrise and sunset in Pietermaritzburg today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 05:02 and sets at 18:22 in Pietermaritzburg (UTC+2), giving 13 h 20 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Pietermaritzburg today?

Solar noon is at 11:42, when the sun stands due north, 75.8° 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 Pietermaritzburg?

On 21 December, with 14 h 03 min between sunrise at 04:55 and sunset at 18:58.

When is the shortest day of the year in Pietermaritzburg?

On 21 June, with 10 h 15 min between sunrise at 06:53 and sunset at 17:08.

How high does the sun get in Pietermaritzburg?

At solar noon the sun reaches 83.8° on 21 December, its highest of the year, and only 36.9° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 75.8°.

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

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 Pietermaritzburg?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 26° 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 Pietermaritzburg?

On 10 June at 17:06, 11 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 1 July at 06:54, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in Pietermaritzburg?

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 14 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 10 June.

What time does it get dark in Pietermaritzburg in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 18:45 and the sky is dark by about 19:11, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 19:02 and darkness at about 19:29.