Sunrise & sunset times in Chicago
Sunrise in Chicago today is at 05:41 and sunset is at 20:11, giving 14h 31m of daylight (times for Tuesday, 28 July 2026, in Chicago's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 19:32 to 20:11. The moon is a full moon at 100% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Chicago, United States. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 05:15 and sets at 20:29 in Chicago (15h 14m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 07:14 and sets at 16:22 (9h 8m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:53 | 19:02 | 12h 9m |
| June solstice | 05:15 | 20:29 | 15h 14m |
| September equinox | 06:38 | 18:47 | 12h 10m |
| December solstice | 07:14 | 16:22 | 9h 8m |
Full sun timeline for Chicago
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 Chicago
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:15 | 16:44 | 9h 29m |
| February | 06:46 | 17:23 | 10h 37m |
| March | 07:02 | 18:56 | 11h 54m |
| April | 06:10 | 19:31 | 13h 21m |
| May | 05:30 | 20:03 | 14h 33m |
| June | 05:14 | 20:27 | 15h 13m |
| July | 05:28 | 20:23 | 14h 55m |
| August | 05:58 | 19:50 | 13h 52m |
| September | 06:30 | 18:59 | 12h 29m |
| October | 07:03 | 18:08 | 11h 6m |
| November | 06:40 | 16:29 | 9h 49m |
| December | 07:11 | 16:20 | 9h 9m |
Sun and moon in Chicago
For photographers, gardeners, runners and anyone chasing good light, the daily sun and moon schedule for Chicago 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 Chicago. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Chicago, United States. Chicago sits at roughly 41.88 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 Chicago 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 Chicago. 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 Chicago, United States for any day of the year.
Frequently asked questions about Chicago
What time is sunrise in Chicago today?
The sunrise time in Chicago, United States is shown at the top of this page for today's date and updates automatically. Use the date picker to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Chicago.
When is golden hour in Chicago?
Chicago has two golden hours each day: one just after sunrise in the morning and one just before sunset in the evening. Both windows are listed above with their exact start and end times for the date you select, so you can plan a photo session down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Chicago?
Because Chicago lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Chicago the longer solstice day runs about 15h 14m and the shorter one about 9h 8m, 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 Chicago accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Chicago 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 Chicago?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Chicago are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Chicago's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table.
Nearby cities
Sun and moon times for places close to Chicago. 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 Chicago and everywhere else.
Keep Chicago in your calendar
Subscribe to a live feed of Chicago'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.