Sunrise & sunset times in Leeds
Sunrise in Leeds today is at 07:09 and sunset is at 18:40, giving 11h 31m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Leeds's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:53 to 18:40. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Leeds, United Kingdom. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 04:34 and sets at 21:41 in Leeds (17h 6m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 08:21 and sets at 15:46 (7h 25m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:08 | 18:19 | 12h 11m |
| June solstice | 04:34 | 21:41 | 17h 6m |
| September equinox | 06:51 | 19:05 | 12h 13m |
| December solstice | 08:21 | 15:46 | 7h 25m |
Full sun timeline for Leeds
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 Leeds
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
Moon over Leeds
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:15 | 16:15 | 8h 0m |
| February | 07:26 | 17:15 | 9h 49m |
| March | 06:21 | 18:09 | 11h 48m |
| April | 06:06 | 20:07 | 14h 1m |
| May | 05:04 | 21:01 | 15h 56m |
| June | 04:34 | 21:38 | 17h 4m |
| July | 04:54 | 21:29 | 16h 35m |
| August | 05:44 | 20:36 | 14h 52m |
| September | 06:38 | 19:22 | 12h 44m |
| October | 07:33 | 18:09 | 10h 36m |
| November | 07:32 | 16:07 | 8h 35m |
| December | 08:17 | 15:44 | 7h 27m |
Sun and moon in Leeds
From early risers to golden hour photographers, the daily sun and moon schedule for Leeds 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 Leeds. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Leeds, United Kingdom. Leeds sits at roughly 53.80 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees a wide seasonal swing between long summer days and short winter afternoons, so sunrise and sunset move dramatically across the year. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Leeds 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 Leeds. 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 Leeds, United Kingdom for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Leeds today?
The sun sets in Leeds at 18:40 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Leeds's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:53, giving 47 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 35 minutes later at 19:15, and the sky is properly dark at 20:38, 1h 58m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:37 in Leeds. That is 2 minutes 26 seconds earlier than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 16 minutes 52 seconds earlier.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Leeds right now?
Leeds gets 11h 31m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes 15 seconds shorter. Over the next seven days Leeds loses 29 minutes 39 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Leeds the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 4 minutes 19 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 Leeds?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Leeds falls on 13 December at 15:44, 8 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 24 June at 21:41.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 17 June at 04:34, latest on 29 December at 08:24, 8 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 | 17 Jun 2026 | 04:34 | 4 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 29 Dec 2026 | 08:24 | 8 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 13 Dec 2026 | 15:44 | 8 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 24 Jun 2026 | 21:41 | 3 days after the June solstice |
These are wall-clock times, so Leeds's daylight saving change is part of the picture: an hour moved by the clocks counts the same as an hour moved by the Earth.
How long does twilight last in Leeds?
First light in Leeds arrives 35 minutes before sunrise today, at 06:34. After sunset the light hangs on for another 35 minutes, until 19:15. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Leeds: it runs from 35 minutes at its shortest, in September, to 54 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.
For 80 nights of 2026, the longest stretch running from 12 May to 30 July, the sky over Leeds never gets fully dark. The sun stays within 18 degrees of the horizon all night, so astronomical twilight lasts straight through to dawn and the faintest stars never come out.
How high does the sun get in Leeds?
At midday on the June solstice the sun stands 59.7 degrees above the horizon in Leeds. On the December solstice it climbs only 12.8 degrees. A midday sun that low throws a shadow about 4.4 times the height of whatever casts it, so even at noon in midwinter the shadows in Leeds are long ones.
Frequently asked questions about Leeds
What time is sunrise in Leeds today?
The sun rises in Leeds, United Kingdom at 07:09 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 18:40. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Leeds.
When is golden hour in Leeds?
Leeds has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 07:09 to 07:56, and the evening window from 17:53 to 18:40, 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 Leeds?
Because Leeds lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Leeds the longer solstice day runs about 17h 6m and the shorter one about 7h 25m, 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 Leeds accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Leeds 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 Leeds?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Leeds 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 Leeds gain or lose each day?
Leeds has 11h 31m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is losing daylight: 29 minutes 39 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 4 minutes 15 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 Leeds?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Leeds is on 13 December at 15:44, 8 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 Leeds?
About 35 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:40 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 19:15, with full astronomical darkness at 20:38. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Leeds's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates 53.80, -1.55, time zone Europe/London. 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 Leeds. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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