Sun position in San Juan

Where the sun stands over San Juan, Puerto Rico (18.4663°, -66.1057°) - 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-4
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Sun times in San Juan on 4 November 2026

Local time in San Juan, UTC-4, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise	06:26	rises toward ESE (106°)
Solar noon	12:08	sun 56.0° above the horizon
Sunset	17:50	sets toward WSW (254°)
Day length	11 h 25 min
Civil dawn	06:03	first usable light
Civil dusk	18:13	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	06:26–06:56	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	17:20–17:50	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.67 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for 18.4663°, -66.1057° 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 Juan.

The sun’s path over San Juan

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 San Juan. On 21 June the sun rises at 65° (ENE), climbs to 85.0° at solar noon and sets at 295° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 114° (ESE), climbs to 48.1° at solar noon and sets at 246° (WSW).

The sun through the year in San Juan

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	07:00	18:08	11 h 09 min	50.5°	0.8 m
February	06:52	18:25	11 h 33 min	59.0°	0.6 m
March	06:33	18:34	12 h 02 min	69.6°	0.4 m
April	06:08	18:41	12 h 34 min	81.5°	0.1 m
May	05:51	18:51	13 h 00 min	89.5°	0 m
June	05:48	19:02	13 h 14 min	85.1°	0.1 m
July	05:56	19:04	13 h 08 min	87.0°	0.1 m
August	06:06	18:51	12 h 45 min	85.4°	0.1 m
September	06:12	18:27	12 h 14 min	74.4°	0.3 m
October	06:18	18:02	11 h 44 min	62.8°	0.5 m
November	06:31	17:47	11 h 16 min	52.9°	0.8 m
December	06:49	17:51	11 h 02 min	48.2°	0.9 m

At the June solstice the midday sun reaches 85.0° above the horizon in San Juan and the day lasts 13 h 14 min. At the December solstice the sun climbs only to 48.1° and the day shrinks to 11 h 01 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 Juan through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	21 June	13 h 14 min, 05:49–19:04
Shortest day	21 December	11 h 01 min, 06:52–17:53
Earliest sunrise	5 June	05:47
Latest sunrise	18 January	07:00
Earliest sunset	24 November	17:46
Latest sunset	6 July	19:05
Highest midday sun	13 May	90.0°, straight overhead
Lowest midday sun	21 December	48.1°
Sunrise direction	through the year	65° ENE (21 June) to 114° ESE (21 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	246° WSW (21 December) to 295° WNW (20 June)

From 13 May to 29 July the midday sun stands north of the zenith, and the rest of the year to the south: in San Juan even a north-facing window gets the noon sun for part of the year.
The sun passes straight overhead at solar noon on 13 May and 30 July: for a moment upright posts, people and buildings cast no shadow at all.
The earliest sunset is on 24 November, 27 days before the shortest day (21 December), and the latest sunrise on 18 January, 28 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 San Juan is 2 h 13 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 1.1 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 Juan

Solar panels

At 18.5° N a fixed array facing due south collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 17°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates 18.4663°, -66.1057° 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 Juan sits 48.1° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 0.9 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 06:26–06:56 in the morning and 17:20–17:50 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 San Juan

On the same latitude

San Juan lies at 18.5° 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:

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about San Juan

What time is sunrise and sunset in San Juan today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 06:26 and sets at 17:50 in San Juan (UTC-4), giving 11 h 25 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in San Juan today?

Solar noon is at 12:08, when the sun stands due south, 56.0° 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 Juan?

On 21 June, with 13 h 14 min between sunrise at 05:49 and sunset at 19:04.

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

On 21 December, with 11 h 01 min between sunrise at 06:52 and sunset at 17:53.

How high does the sun get in San Juan?

At solar noon the sun reaches 90.0° on 13 May, its highest of the year, and only 48.1° on 21 December. Today it climbs to 56.0°.

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

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 65° (ENE) and 114° (ESE), and sunset between 246° (WSW) and 295° (WNW).

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

Facing due south (azimuth 180°) at a tilt of about 17° 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 San Juan?

At solar noon on 13 May and 30 July. On those days upright objects cast no shadow at midday.