Sun position in Recife

Where the sun stands over Recife, Brazil (-8.0539°, -34.8811°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

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Local time UTC-3
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Sun times in Recife on 3 November 2026

Local time in Recife, UTC-3, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise	04:51	rises toward ESE (105°)
Solar noon	11:03	sun 82.9° above the horizon
Sunset	17:15	sets toward WSW (254°)
Day length	12 h 25 min
Civil dawn	04:29	first usable light
Civil dusk	17:37	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	04:51–05:19	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	16:47–17:15	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.12 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for -8.0539°, -34.8811° 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 Recife.

The sun’s path over Recife

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

The sun's altitude against its compass bearing over Recife. On 21 June the sun rises at 66° (ENE), climbs to 58.5° at solar noon and sets at 294° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 114° (ESE), climbs to 74.6° at solar noon and sets at 246° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Recife

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	17:45	12 h 32 min	77.0°	0.2 m
February	05:23	17:44	12 h 21 min	85.5°	0.1 m
March	05:24	17:33	12 h 09 min	83.9°	0.1 m
April	05:22	17:17	11 h 55 min	72.0°	0.3 m
May	05:23	17:08	11 h 45 min	63.0°	0.5 m
June	05:30	17:10	11 h 39 min	58.6°	0.6 m
July	05:35	17:16	11 h 42 min	60.5°	0.6 m
August	05:29	17:19	11 h 51 min	68.0°	0.4 m
September	05:13	17:16	12 h 03 min	79.1°	0.2 m
October	04:57	17:14	12 h 17 min	89.4°	0.0 m
November	04:50	17:19	12 h 29 min	79.5°	0.2 m
December	04:57	17:32	12 h 36 min	74.8°	0.3 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 74.6° above the horizon in Recife and the day lasts 12 h 36 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 58.5° and the day shrinks to 11 h 39 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.

Recife through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 December	12 h 36 min, 05:00–17:36
Shortest day	21 June	11 h 39 min, 05:32–17:11
Earliest sunrise	15 November	04:50
Latest sunrise	15 July	05:35
Earliest sunset	25 May	17:08
Latest sunset	28 January	17:47
Highest midday sun	27 February	89.9°, straight overhead
Lowest midday sun	21 June	58.5°
Sunrise direction	through the year	66° ENE (21 June) to 114° ESE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	246° WSW (21 December) to 294° WNW (21 June)

From 14 October to 27 February the midday sun stands south of the zenith, and the rest of the year to the north: in Recife even a south-facing window gets the noon sun for part of the year.
The sun passes straight overhead at solar noon on 27 February and 13 October: for a moment upright posts, people and buildings cast no shadow at all.
Sunset in Recife moves more with the drift of solar noon than with the seasons: the earliest is at 17:08 on 25 May and the latest at 17:47 on 28 January.
Day length barely changes in Recife: the longest day is only 56 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 Recife

Solar panels

At 8.1° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 9°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -8.0539°, -34.8811° 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 Recife sits 58.5° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 0.6 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 04:51–05:19 in the morning and 16:47–17:15 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 Recife

On the same latitude

Recife lies at 8.1° 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 Recife

What time is sunrise and sunset in Recife today?

On 3 November 2026 the sun rises at 04:51 and sets at 17:15 in Recife (UTC-3), giving 12 h 25 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Recife today?

Solar noon is at 11:03, when the sun stands due south, 82.9° 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 Recife?

On 21 December, with 12 h 36 min between sunrise at 05:00 and sunset at 17:36.

When is the shortest day of the year in Recife?

On 21 June, with 11 h 39 min between sunrise at 05:32 and sunset at 17:11.

How high does the sun get in Recife?

At solar noon the sun reaches 89.9° on 27 February, its highest of the year, and only 58.5° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 82.9°.

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

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 66° (ENE) and 114° (ESE), and sunset between 246° (WSW) and 294° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Recife?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 9° 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 Recife?

At solar noon on 27 February and 13 October. On those days upright objects cast no shadow at midday.