Sunrise & sunset times in Cotonou
Sunrise in Cotonou today is at 06:44 and sunset is at 19:08, giving 12h 24m of daylight (times for Wednesday, 29 July 2026, in Cotonou's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 18:40 to 19:08. The moon is a full moon at 100% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Cotonou, Benin. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:37 and sets at 19:06 in Cotonou (12h 30m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 06:55 and sets at 18:41 (11h 45m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:54 | 19:01 | 12h 7m |
| June solstice | 06:37 | 19:06 | 12h 30m |
| September equinox | 06:39 | 18:46 | 12h 7m |
| December solstice | 06:55 | 18:41 | 11h 45m |
Full sun timeline for Cotonou
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 Cotonou
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:05 | 18:53 | 11h 48m |
| February | 07:06 | 19:02 | 11h 55m |
| March | 06:57 | 19:01 | 12h 5m |
| April | 06:42 | 18:58 | 12h 16m |
| May | 06:34 | 18:59 | 12h 25m |
| June | 06:36 | 19:05 | 12h 29m |
| July | 06:42 | 19:10 | 12h 27m |
| August | 06:45 | 19:04 | 12h 20m |
| September | 06:40 | 18:50 | 12h 9m |
| October | 06:36 | 18:35 | 11h 59m |
| November | 06:39 | 18:29 | 11h 50m |
| December | 06:52 | 18:38 | 11h 46m |
Sun and moon in Cotonou
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for Cotonou 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 Cotonou. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Cotonou, Benin. Cotonou sits at roughly 6.37 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees very little seasonal change, with day length staying close to twelve hours all year and a short, fast twilight after sunset. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Cotonou 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 Cotonou. 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 Cotonou, Benin for any day of the year.
Frequently asked questions about Cotonou
What time is sunrise in Cotonou today?
The sunrise time in Cotonou, Benin 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 Cotonou.
When is golden hour in Cotonou?
Cotonou 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 Cotonou?
Because Cotonou lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Cotonou the longer solstice day runs about 12h 30m and the shorter one about 11h 45m, 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 Cotonou accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Cotonou 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 Cotonou?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Cotonou 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 Cotonou'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 Cotonou. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
Popular cities
More light tools
Understand the light
Plain-English guides to the moments that shape the day in Cotonou and everywhere else.
Keep Cotonou in your calendar
Subscribe to a live feed of Cotonou'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.