Sunrise & sunset times in Herat
Sunrise in Herat today is at 06:16 and sunset is at 18:04, giving 11h 48m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Herat's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:31 to 18:04. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Herat, Afghanistan. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 05:09 and sets at 19:36 in Herat (14h 27m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 07:23 and sets at 17:14 (9h 52m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:25 | 18:32 | 12h 7m |
| June solstice | 05:09 | 19:36 | 14h 27m |
| September equinox | 06:09 | 18:18 | 12h 9m |
| December solstice | 07:23 | 17:14 | 9h 52m |
Full sun timeline for Herat
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 Herat
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
Moon over Herat
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:27 | 17:33 | 10h 7m |
| February | 07:06 | 18:04 | 10h 57m |
| March | 06:32 | 18:28 | 11h 56m |
| April | 05:50 | 18:52 | 13h 2m |
| May | 05:19 | 19:16 | 13h 57m |
| June | 05:08 | 19:34 | 14h 26m |
| July | 05:19 | 19:34 | 14h 14m |
| August | 05:41 | 19:09 | 13h 27m |
| September | 06:03 | 18:28 | 12h 25m |
| October | 06:26 | 17:47 | 11h 21m |
| November | 06:54 | 17:17 | 10h 23m |
| December | 07:19 | 17:12 | 9h 53m |
Sun and moon in Herat
Landscape and street photographers who plan around the light rely on the daily sun and moon schedule for Herat, Afghanistan. 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 Herat. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Herat, Afghanistan. Herat sits at roughly 34.35 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees a gentle seasonal swing, since day length stays fairly even through the year and the sun climbs high overhead in summer. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Herat 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 Herat. 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 Herat, Afghanistan for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Herat today?
The sun sets in Herat at 18:04 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Herat's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:31, giving 33 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 25 minutes later at 18:29, and the sky is properly dark at 19:27, 1h 23m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:03 in Herat. That is 1 minute 22 seconds earlier than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 9 minutes 27 seconds earlier.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Herat right now?
Herat gets 11h 48m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes 7 seconds shorter. Over the next seven days Herat loses 14 minutes 45 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Herat the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 2 minutes 10 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 Herat?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Herat falls on 4 December at 17:10, 17 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 29 June at 19:37.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 12 June at 05:08, latest on 7 January at 07:28, 17 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 | 12 Jun 2026 | 05:08 | 9 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 7 Jan 2026 | 07:28 | 17 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 4 Dec 2026 | 17:10 | 17 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 29 Jun 2026 | 19:37 | 8 days after the June solstice |
How long does twilight last in Herat?
First light in Herat arrives 25 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:51. After sunset the light hangs on for another 25 minutes, until 18:29. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Herat: it runs from 25 minutes at its shortest, in September, to 29 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.
How high does the sun get in Herat?
At midday on the June solstice the sun stands 79.1 degrees above the horizon in Herat. On the December solstice it climbs only 32.2 degrees. A midday sun that low throws a shadow about 1.6 times the height of whatever casts it, so even at noon in midwinter the shadows in Herat are long ones.
Frequently asked questions about Herat
What time is sunrise in Herat today?
The sun rises in Herat, Afghanistan at 06:16 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 18:04. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Herat.
When is golden hour in Herat?
Herat has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 06:16 to 06:49, and the evening window from 17:31 to 18:04, 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 Herat?
Because Herat lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Herat the longer solstice day runs about 14h 27m and the shorter one about 9h 52m, 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 Herat accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Herat 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 Herat?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Herat 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 Herat gain or lose each day?
Herat has 11h 48m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is losing daylight: 14 minutes 45 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 2 minutes 7 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 Herat?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Herat is on 4 December at 17:10, 17 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 Herat?
About 25 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:04 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:29, with full astronomical darkness at 19:27. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Herat's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates 34.35, 62.20, time zone Asia/Kabul. 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.
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