Sun position in Rio de Janeiro

Where the sun stands over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (-22.9068°, -43.1729°) - 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 Rio de Janeiro on 12 November 2026

Local time in Rio de Janeiro, UTC-3, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise	05:02	rises toward ESE (110°)
Solar noon	11:37	sun 84.9° above the horizon
Sunset	18:12	sets toward WSW (250°)
Day length	13 h 10 min
Civil dawn	04:38	first usable light
Civil dusk	18:36	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	05:02–05:33	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	17:41–18:12	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.09 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for -22.9068°, -43.1729° 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 Rio de Janeiro.

The sun’s path over Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro. On 21 June the sun rises at 65° (ENE), climbs to 43.7° at solar noon and sets at 295° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 116° (ESE), climbs to 89.5° at solar noon and sets at 244° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Rio de Janeiro

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	05:21	18:44	13 h 23 min	88.1°	0.0 m
February	05:41	18:32	12 h 51 min	79.6°	0.2 m
March	05:55	18:08	12 h 14 min	69.1°	0.4 m
April	06:06	17:39	11 h 33 min	57.2°	0.6 m
May	06:18	17:19	11 h 01 min	48.1°	0.9 m
June	06:31	17:15	10 h 44 min	43.8°	1 m
July	06:33	17:25	10 h 51 min	45.6°	1 m
August	06:18	17:37	11 h 19 min	53.2°	0.7 m
September	05:49	17:47	11 h 57 min	64.2°	0.5 m
October	05:20	17:57	12 h 37 min	75.8°	0.3 m
November	05:01	18:14	13 h 13 min	85.7°	0.1 m
December	05:02	18:34	13 h 32 min	89.6°	0 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 89.5° above the horizon in Rio de Janeiro and the day lasts 13 h 33 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 43.7° and the day shrinks to 10 h 44 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.

Rio de Janeiro through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 December	13 h 33 min, 05:04–18:37
Shortest day	21 June	10 h 44 min, 06:33–17:16
Earliest sunrise	29 November	04:59
Latest sunrise	4 July	06:34
Earliest sunset	7 June	17:15
Latest sunset	14 January	18:44
Highest midday sun	2 January	90.0°, straight overhead
Lowest midday sun	21 June	43.7°
Sunrise direction	through the year	65° ENE (21 June) to 116° ESE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	244° WSW (21 December) to 295° WNW (21 June)

From 10 December to 1 January the midday sun stands south of the zenith, and the rest of the year to the north: in Rio de Janeiro even a south-facing window gets the noon sun for part of the year.
The sun passes straight overhead at solar noon on 2 January and 10 December: for a moment upright posts, people and buildings cast no shadow at all.
The earliest sunset is on 7 June, 14 days before the shortest day (21 June), and the latest sunrise on 4 July, 13 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 Rio de Janeiro is 2 h 49 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 1.3 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 Rio de Janeiro

Solar panels

At 22.9° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 21°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -22.9068°, -43.1729° 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 Rio de Janeiro sits 43.7° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 1 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 05:02–05:33 in the morning and 17:41–18:12 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (250°). 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 Rio de Janeiro

On the same latitude

Rio de Janeiro lies at 22.9° 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:

Sun position in WindhoekNamibia • 22.6° S

Sunrise and sunset in all 10 cities in Brazil →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Rio de Janeiro

What time is sunrise and sunset in Rio de Janeiro today?

On 12 November 2026 the sun rises at 05:02 and sets at 18:12 in Rio de Janeiro (UTC-3), giving 13 h 10 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Rio de Janeiro today?

Solar noon is at 11:37, when the sun stands due north, 84.9° 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 Rio de Janeiro?

On 21 December, with 13 h 33 min between sunrise at 05:04 and sunset at 18:37.

When is the shortest day of the year in Rio de Janeiro?

On 21 June, with 10 h 44 min between sunrise at 06:33 and sunset at 17:16.

How high does the sun get in Rio de Janeiro?

At solar noon the sun reaches 90.0° on 2 January, its highest of the year, and only 43.7° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 84.9°.

In which direction does the sun rise and set in Rio de Janeiro?

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 65° (ENE) and 116° (ESE), and sunset between 244° (WSW) and 295° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Rio de Janeiro?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 21° 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 Rio de Janeiro?

At solar noon on 2 January and 10 December. On those days upright objects cast no shadow at midday.