Sunrise & sunset times in Matola
Sunrise in Matola today is at 05:28 and sunset is at 17:50, giving 12h 22m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Matola's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:20 to 17:50. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Matola, Mozambique. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:36 and sets at 17:07 in Matola (10h 31m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 04:55 and sets at 18:41 (13h 46m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 05:53 | 18:01 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 06:36 | 17:07 | 10h 31m |
| September equinox | 05:39 | 17:46 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 04:55 | 18:41 | 13h 46m |
Full sun timeline for Matola
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 Matola
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
Moon over Matola
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:11 | 18:46 | 13h 35m |
| February | 05:35 | 18:33 | 12h 58m |
| March | 05:51 | 18:06 | 12h 16m |
| April | 06:05 | 17:34 | 11h 29m |
| May | 06:20 | 17:12 | 10h 51m |
| June | 06:34 | 17:06 | 10h 31m |
| July | 06:36 | 17:16 | 10h 40m |
| August | 06:19 | 17:30 | 11h 12m |
| September | 05:47 | 17:43 | 11h 55m |
| October | 05:15 | 17:56 | 12h 41m |
| November | 04:53 | 18:16 | 13h 23m |
| December | 04:52 | 18:37 | 13h 45m |
Sun and moon in Matola
Landscape and street photographers who plan around the light rely on the daily sun and moon schedule for Matola, Mozambique. 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 Matola. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Matola, Mozambique. Matola sits at roughly 25.96 degrees south, in the southern 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 Matola 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 Matola. 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 Matola, Mozambique for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Matola today?
The sun sets in Matola at 17:50 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Matola's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:20, giving 30 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 23 minutes later at 18:13, and the sky is properly dark at 19:07, 1h 17m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 17:50 in Matola. To the minute, that is the same time as today. Over the coming week sunset moves 3 minutes 14 seconds later.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Matola right now?
Matola gets 12h 22m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 1 minute 31 seconds longer. Over the next seven days Matola gains 10 minutes 37 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Matola the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 1 minute 33 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 Matola?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Matola falls on 8 June at 17:05, 13 days before the June solstice, and the latest on 12 January at 18:47.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 30 November at 04:50, latest on 2 July at 06:37, 11 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 | 30 Nov 2026 | 04:50 | 21 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 2 Jul 2026 | 06:37 | 11 days after the June solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 8 Jun 2026 | 17:05 | 13 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunset | 12 Jan 2026 | 18:47 | 22 days after the December solstice |
How long does twilight last in Matola?
First light in Matola arrives 23 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:05. After sunset the light hangs on for another 23 minutes, until 18:13. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Matola: it runs from 23 minutes at its shortest, in March, to 26 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 Matola?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 87.5 degrees above the horizon in Matola. On the June solstice it climbs only 40.6 degrees. Even at that lowest point, a noon shadow in Matola is only about 1.2 times the height of the object casting it.
Frequently asked questions about Matola
What time is sunrise in Matola today?
The sun rises in Matola, Mozambique at 05:28 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 17:50. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Matola.
When is golden hour in Matola?
Matola has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:28 to 05:59, and the evening window from 17:20 to 17:50, 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 Matola?
Because Matola lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Matola the longer solstice day runs about 13h 46m and the shorter one about 10h 31m, 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 Matola accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Matola 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 Matola?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Matola 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 Matola gain or lose each day?
Matola has 12h 22m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is gaining daylight: 10 minutes 37 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 1 minute 31 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 Matola?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Matola is on 8 June at 17:05, 13 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 Matola?
About 23 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 17:50 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:13, with full astronomical darkness at 19:07. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Matola's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -25.96, 32.46, time zone Africa/Maputo. 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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