Sun position in San Jose

Where the sun stands over San Jose, United States (37.3394°, -121.895°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

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Updated daily
Local time UTC-8
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Sun times in San Jose on 3 November 2026

Local time in San Jose, UTC-8 (standard time). On 14 March 2027 the clocks go forward one hour, so sunrise moves from 06:22 to 07:20.
Sunrise	06:35	rises toward ESE (109°)
Solar noon	11:51	sun 37.4° above the horizon
Sunset	17:07	sets toward WSW (251°)
Day length	10 h 33 min
Civil dawn	06:07	first usable light
Civil dusk	17:34	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	06:35–07:11	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	16:30–17:07	warm low light
Shadow at noon	1.31 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for 37.3394°, -121.895° 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 San Jose.

The sun’s path over San Jose

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 San Jose. On 21 June the sun rises at 59° (ENE), climbs to 76.1° at solar noon and sets at 301° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 119° (ESE), climbs to 29.2° at solar noon and sets at 241° (WSW).

The sun through the year in San Jose

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	07:21	17:14	9 h 53 min	31.7°	1.6 m
February	06:56	17:47	10 h 51 min	40.2°	1.2 m
March	07:18	19:15	11 h 57 min	50.8°	0.8 m
April	06:33	19:43	13 h 10 min	62.7°	0.5 m
May	05:59	20:10	14 h 11 min	71.7°	0.3 m
June	05:46	20:30	14 h 44 min	76.0°	0.2 m
July	05:59	20:28	14 h 29 min	74.1°	0.3 m
August	06:24	19:59	13 h 35 min	66.5°	0.4 m
September	06:50	19:15	12 h 25 min	55.4°	0.7 m
October	07:16	18:30	11 h 15 min	43.9°	1 m
November	06:47	16:57	10 h 10 min	34.0°	1.5 m
December	07:15	16:51	9 h 36 min	29.4°	1.8 m

At the June solstice the midday sun reaches 76.1° above the horizon in San Jose and the day lasts 14 h 44 min. At the December solstice the sun climbs only to 29.2° and the day shrinks to 9 h 35 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.

San Jose through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 June	14 h 44 min, 05:47–20:32
Shortest day	21 December	9 h 35 min, 07:18–16:53
Earliest sunrise	13 June	05:46
Latest sunrise	31 October	07:31
Earliest sunset	6 December	16:50
Latest sunset	28 June	20:32
Highest midday sun	21 June	76.1°
Lowest midday sun	21 December	29.2°
Sunrise direction	through the year	59° ENE (21 June) to 119° ESE (21 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	241° WSW (21 December) to 301° WNW (20 June)

At solar noon the sun in San Jose always stands due south, so the south side of a building, a garden or a roof is the one that gets the sun.
The longest day in San Jose is 5 h 09 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 2.4 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 San Jose

Solar panels

At 37.3° N a fixed array facing due south collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 31°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates 37.3394°, -121.895° 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 San Jose sits 29.2° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 1.8 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 06:35–07:11 in the morning and 16:30–17:07 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (251°). 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 San Jose

On the same latitude

San Jose lies at 37.3° 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 110 cities in the United States →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about San Jose

What time is sunrise and sunset in San Jose today?

On 3 November 2026 the sun rises at 06:35 and sets at 17:07 in San Jose (UTC-8), giving 10 h 33 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in San Jose today?

Solar noon is at 11:51, when the sun stands due south, 37.4° 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 San Jose?

On 21 June, with 14 h 44 min between sunrise at 05:47 and sunset at 20:32.

When is the shortest day of the year in San Jose?

On 21 December, with 9 h 35 min between sunrise at 07:18 and sunset at 16:53.

How high does the sun get in San Jose?

At solar noon the sun reaches 76.1° on 21 June, its highest of the year, and only 29.2° on 21 December. Today it climbs to 37.4°.

In which direction does the sun rise and set in San Jose?

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 59° (ENE) and 119° (ESE), and sunset between 241° (WSW) and 301° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in San Jose?

Facing due south (azimuth 180°) at a tilt of about 31° 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 San Jose?

On 6 December at 16:50, 15 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 6 January at 07:22, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in San Jose?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 December, but slowly at first: by 31 December the day is only 3 minutes longer, by 31 January 44 minutes longer and by 28 February 1 h 45 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 6 December.

What time does it get dark in San Jose in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 16:50 and the sky is dark by about 17:19, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 17:00 and darkness at about 17:29.