Sunrise & sunset times in New Orleans
Sunrise in New Orleans today is at 06:54 and sunset is at 18:44, giving 11h 50m of daylight (times for Thursday, 1 October 2026, in New Orleans's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 18:12 to 18:44. The moon is a waning gibbous at 66% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for New Orleans, United States. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 05:59 and sets at 20:04 in New Orleans (14h 5m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 06:51 and sets at 17:05 (10h 13m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:04 | 19:11 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 05:59 | 20:04 | 14h 5m |
| September equinox | 06:48 | 18:56 | 12h 8m |
| December solstice | 06:51 | 17:05 | 10h 13m |
Full sun timeline for New Orleans
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 New Orleans
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:56 | 17:22 | 10h 26m |
| February | 06:40 | 17:49 | 11h 9m |
| March | 07:10 | 19:08 | 11h 58m |
| April | 06:33 | 19:27 | 12h 54m |
| May | 06:07 | 19:46 | 13h 40m |
| June | 05:58 | 20:02 | 14h 4m |
| July | 06:09 | 20:02 | 13h 53m |
| August | 06:27 | 19:41 | 13h 14m |
| September | 06:44 | 19:05 | 12h 21m |
| October | 07:02 | 18:29 | 11h 27m |
| November | 06:25 | 17:04 | 10h 39m |
| December | 06:48 | 17:02 | 10h 14m |
Sun and moon in New Orleans
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for New Orleans 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 New Orleans. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of New Orleans, United States. New Orleans sits at roughly 29.95 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 New Orleans 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 New Orleans. 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 New Orleans, United States for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in New Orleans today?
The sun sets in New Orleans at 18:44 (just after midnight) today, Thursday, 1 October 2026, in New Orleans's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 18:12, giving 32 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 24 minutes later at 19:08, and the sky is properly dark at 20:03, 1h 19m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:44 in New Orleans. That is 1 minute 13 seconds earlier than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 8 minutes 19 seconds earlier.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in New Orleans.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in New Orleans right now?
New Orleans gets 11h 52m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 1 minute 47 seconds shorter. Over the next seven days New Orleans loses 12 minutes 27 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In New Orleans the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 1 minute 49 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 New Orleans?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in New Orleans falls on 1 December at 17:00, 20 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 30 June at 20:05.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 10 June at 05:58, latest on 8 March at 07:18, 77 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 | 10 Jun 2026 | 05:58 | 11 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 8 Mar 2026 | 07:18 | 77 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 1 Dec 2026 | 17:00 | 20 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 30 Jun 2026 | 20:05 | 9 days after the June solstice |
These are wall-clock times, so New Orleans'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.
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in New Orleans.
How long does twilight last in New Orleans?
First light in New Orleans arrives 24 minutes before sunrise today, at 06:30. After sunset the light hangs on for another 24 minutes, until 19:08. That evening stretch is not the same all year in New Orleans: it runs from 24 minutes at its shortest, in September, to 27 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.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in New Orleans and dusk in New Orleans.
How high does the sun get in New Orleans?
At midday on the June solstice the sun stands 83.5 degrees above the horizon in New Orleans. On the December solstice it climbs only 36.6 degrees. Even at that lowest point, a noon shadow in New Orleans is only about 1.3 times the height of the object casting it.
Frequently asked questions about New Orleans
What time is sunrise in New Orleans today?
The sun rises in New Orleans, United States at 06:54 on Thursday, 1 October 2026, and sets at 18:44. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of New Orleans.
When is golden hour in New Orleans?
New Orleans has two golden hours each day. On Thursday, 1 October 2026 the morning window runs from 06:54 to 07:26, and the evening window from 18:12 to 18:44, 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 New Orleans?
Because New Orleans lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In New Orleans the longer solstice day runs about 14h 5m and the shorter one about 10h 13m, 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 New Orleans accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of New Orleans 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 New Orleans?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for New Orleans 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 New Orleans gain or lose each day?
New Orleans has 11h 52m of daylight on Thursday, 1 October 2026 and is losing daylight: 12 minutes 27 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 1 minute 47 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 New Orleans?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in New Orleans is on 1 December at 17:00, 20 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 New Orleans?
About 24 minutes on Thursday, 1 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:44 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 19:08, with full astronomical darkness at 20:03. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from New Orleans's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates 29.95, -90.07, time zone America/Chicago. 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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Sun and moon times for places close to New Orleans. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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