Sunrise & sunset times in Lubumbashi
Sunrise in Lubumbashi today is at 05:53 and sunset is at 18:05, giving 12h 13m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Lubumbashi's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:37 to 18:05. The moon is a waning gibbous at 66% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Lubumbashi, DR Congo. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:28 and sets at 17:55 in Lubumbashi (11h 26m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 05:43 and sets at 18:32 (12h 49m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:14 | 18:20 | 12h 7m |
| June solstice | 06:28 | 17:55 | 11h 26m |
| September equinox | 05:59 | 18:06 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 05:43 | 18:32 | 12h 49m |
Full sun timeline for Lubumbashi
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 Lubumbashi
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
Moon over Lubumbashi
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:57 | 18:41 | 12h 44m |
| February | 06:09 | 18:38 | 12h 28m |
| March | 06:13 | 18:24 | 12h 10m |
| April | 06:14 | 18:05 | 11h 51m |
| May | 06:18 | 17:53 | 11h 35m |
| June | 06:27 | 17:53 | 11h 27m |
| July | 06:31 | 18:01 | 11h 30m |
| August | 06:23 | 18:06 | 11h 43m |
| September | 06:04 | 18:06 | 12h 2m |
| October | 05:45 | 18:06 | 12h 21m |
| November | 05:35 | 18:14 | 12h 39m |
| December | 05:40 | 18:29 | 12h 48m |
Sun and moon in Lubumbashi
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Lubumbashi, DR Congo. Lubumbashi sits at roughly 11.66 degrees south, in the southern 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 Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi. 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 Lubumbashi, DR Congo for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Lubumbashi today?
The sun sets in Lubumbashi at 18:05 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Lubumbashi's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:37, giving 28 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 21 minutes later at 18:27, and the sky is properly dark at 19:16, 1h 11m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:05 in Lubumbashi. To the minute, that is the same time as today. Over the coming week sunset barely moves at all, by under a minute in total.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Lubumbashi right now?
Lubumbashi gets 12h 13m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 39 seconds longer. Over the next seven days Lubumbashi gains 4 minutes 31 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Lubumbashi the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 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 Lubumbashi?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Lubumbashi falls on 28 May at 17:52, 24 days before the June solstice, and the latest on 24 January at 18:42.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 19 November at 05:35, latest on 11 July at 06:31, 20 days after the June 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 | 19 Nov 2026 | 05:35 | 32 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 11 Jul 2026 | 06:31 | 20 days after the June solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 28 May 2026 | 17:52 | 24 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunset | 24 Jan 2026 | 18:42 | 34 days after the December solstice |
How long does twilight last in Lubumbashi?
First light in Lubumbashi arrives 21 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:32. After sunset the light hangs on for another 21 minutes, until 18:27. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Lubumbashi: it runs from 21 minutes at its shortest, in March, to 23 minutes at its longest, in December. 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 Lubumbashi?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 78.2 degrees above the horizon in Lubumbashi. On the June solstice it climbs only 54.9 degrees. The midday sun stays high enough all year that noon shadows in Lubumbashi are always shorter than the object casting them, about 0.70 times their height at the lowest point of the year.
Twice a year, on 18 February and 24 October, the midday sun over Lubumbashi comes within half a degree of straight overhead, reaching 89.89 degrees at its highest. On those days an upright post casts almost no shadow at solar noon, which is why they are sometimes called zero shadow days. It can only happen between the tropics, where the sun passes directly over a place at all.
Frequently asked questions about Lubumbashi
What time is sunrise in Lubumbashi today?
The sun rises in Lubumbashi, DR Congo at 05:53 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 18:05. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Lubumbashi.
When is golden hour in Lubumbashi?
Lubumbashi has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:53 to 06:21, and the evening window from 17:37 to 18:05, 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 Lubumbashi?
Because Lubumbashi lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Lubumbashi the longer solstice day runs about 12h 49m and the shorter one about 11h 26m, 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 Lubumbashi accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi gain or lose each day?
Lubumbashi has 12h 13m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is gaining daylight: 4 minutes 31 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 39 seconds longer 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 Lubumbashi?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Lubumbashi is on 28 May at 17:52, 24 days before the June 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 Lubumbashi?
About 21 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:05 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:27, with full astronomical darkness at 19:16. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Lubumbashi's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -11.66, 27.48, time zone Africa/Lubumbashi. 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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