Sunrise & sunset times in Beijing
Sunrise in Beijing today is at 06:11 and sunset is at 17:55, giving 11h 45m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Beijing's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:19 to 17:55. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Beijing, China. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 04:45 and sets at 19:46 in Beijing (15h 0m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 07:32 and sets at 16:52 (9h 20m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:18 | 18:25 | 12h 7m |
| June solstice | 04:45 | 19:46 | 15h 0m |
| September equinox | 06:01 | 18:12 | 12h 11m |
| December solstice | 07:32 | 16:52 | 9h 20m |
Full sun timeline for Beijing
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Beijing
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:34 | 17:13 | 9h 39m |
| February | 07:07 | 17:49 | 10h 42m |
| March | 06:26 | 18:20 | 11h 54m |
| April | 05:37 | 18:52 | 13h 14m |
| May | 05:00 | 19:22 | 14h 22m |
| June | 04:45 | 19:44 | 14h 59m |
| July | 04:57 | 19:42 | 14h 44m |
| August | 05:25 | 19:11 | 13h 46m |
| September | 05:54 | 18:24 | 12h 29m |
| October | 06:24 | 17:35 | 11h 11m |
| November | 06:58 | 16:58 | 10h 0m |
| December | 07:28 | 16:50 | 9h 22m |
Sun and moon in Beijing
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for Beijing is easy to check here. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Beijing. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Beijing, China. Beijing sits at roughly 39.90 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees a clear but moderate seasonal swing, with noticeably longer days in summer and cosier, earlier sunsets in winter. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Beijing shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Beijing. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Beijing, China for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Beijing today?
The sun sets in Beijing at 17:55 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Beijing's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:19, giving 36 minutes of low golden light before the sun reaches the horizon. Sunset is not the end of the light either. Last light, the moment usable daylight ends at civil dusk, follows 27 minutes later at 18:22, and the sky is properly dark at 19:25, 1h 30m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 17:54 in Beijing. That is 1 minute 37 seconds earlier than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 11 minutes 7 seconds earlier.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Beijing.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Beijing right now?
Beijing gets 11h 45m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes 36 seconds shorter. Over the next seven days Beijing loses 18 minutes 5 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Beijing the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 2 minutes 39 seconds per day, and it slows almost to a stop at the solstices in June and December. The word solstice means exactly that: the sun standing still.
When are the earliest and latest sunrise and sunset in Beijing?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Beijing falls on 7 December at 16:49, 14 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 27 June at 19:47.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 14 June at 04:45, latest on 5 January at 07:36, 15 days after the December solstice. The four dates in the table below do not line up with the solstices, and they are not supposed to. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and its axis is tilted, so the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year. That offset, the equation of time, is what pushes the earliest sunset ahead of the shortest day and the latest sunrise behind it.
| Extreme | Date | Local time | Why then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest sunrise | 14 Jun 2026 | 04:45 | 7 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 5 Jan 2026 | 07:36 | 15 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 7 Dec 2026 | 16:49 | 14 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 27 Jun 2026 | 19:47 | 6 days after the June solstice |
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Beijing.
How long does twilight last in Beijing?
First light in Beijing arrives 27 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:44. After sunset the light hangs on for another 27 minutes, until 18:22. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Beijing: it runs from 27 minutes at its shortest, in September, to 33 minutes at its longest, in June. The lower the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon, the longer twilight lasts, which is why dusk is a slow affair at high latitudes and abrupt near the equator.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Beijing and dusk in Beijing.
How high does the sun get in Beijing?
At midday on the June solstice the sun stands 73.5 degrees above the horizon in Beijing. On the December solstice it climbs only 26.7 degrees. A midday sun that low throws a shadow about 2.0 times the height of whatever casts it, so even at noon in midwinter the shadows in Beijing are long ones.
Frequently asked questions about Beijing
What time is sunrise in Beijing today?
The sun rises in Beijing, China at 06:11 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 17:55. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Beijing.
When is golden hour in Beijing?
Beijing has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 06:11 to 06:47, and the evening window from 17:19 to 17:55, all in local time. Pick another date above to plan a shoot down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Beijing?
Because Beijing lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Beijing the longer solstice day runs about 15h 0m and the shorter one about 9h 20m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Beijing accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Beijing and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Beijing?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Beijing are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
How much daylight does Beijing gain or lose each day?
Beijing has 11h 45m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is losing daylight: 18 minutes 5 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 2 minutes 36 seconds shorter than today. The daily change is at its largest near the March and September equinoxes and almost stops at the June and December solstices.
When is the earliest sunset in Beijing?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Beijing is on 7 December at 16:49, 14 days before the December solstice. The earliest sunset and the shortest day are not the same date, because the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year, an effect called the equation of time.
How long does it stay light after sunset in Beijing?
About 27 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 17:55 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:22, with full astronomical darkness at 19:25. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Beijing's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates 39.90, 116.41, time zone Asia/Shanghai. Accurate to about a minute for a flat, unobstructed horizon; terrain, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment the sun is actually visible by a few minutes. Full method on methodology.
Nearby cities
Sun and moon times for places close to Beijing. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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Understand the light
Plain-English guides to the moments that shape the day in Beijing and everywhere else.
Keep Beijing in your calendar
Subscribe to a live feed of Beijing's sunrise and sunset in your own calendar app, so today's light is always a glance away. It updates by itself, with no account.