Sunrise & sunset times in Pietermaritzburg
Sunrise in Pietermaritzburg today is at 05:35 and sunset is at 18:00, giving 12h 24m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Pietermaritzburg's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:28 to 18:00. The moon is a waning gibbous at 66% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:52 and sets at 17:07 in Pietermaritzburg (10h 15m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 04:54 and sets at 18:58 (14h 3m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:01 | 18:09 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 06:52 | 17:07 | 10h 15m |
| September equinox | 05:48 | 17:54 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 04:54 | 18:58 | 14h 3m |
Full sun timeline for Pietermaritzburg
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 Pietermaritzburg
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
Moon over Pietermaritzburg
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:12 | 19:02 | 13h 50m |
| February | 05:38 | 18:45 | 13h 7m |
| March | 05:58 | 18:15 | 12h 17m |
| April | 06:16 | 17:39 | 11h 23m |
| May | 06:35 | 17:14 | 10h 39m |
| June | 06:51 | 17:06 | 10h 15m |
| July | 06:52 | 17:16 | 10h 25m |
| August | 06:31 | 17:34 | 11h 2m |
| September | 05:57 | 17:50 | 11h 54m |
| October | 05:20 | 18:08 | 12h 47m |
| November | 04:55 | 18:31 | 13h 36m |
| December | 04:52 | 18:54 | 14h 2m |
Sun and moon in Pietermaritzburg
Landscape and street photographers who plan around the light rely on the daily sun and moon schedule for Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. 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 Pietermaritzburg. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Pietermaritzburg sits at roughly 29.62 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 Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg. 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 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Pietermaritzburg today?
The sun sets in Pietermaritzburg at 18:00 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Pietermaritzburg's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:28, giving 31 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 18:24, and the sky is properly dark at 19:20, 1h 20m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:00 in Pietermaritzburg. That is 34 seconds later than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 4 minutes 7 seconds later.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Pietermaritzburg right now?
Pietermaritzburg gets 12h 24m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 1 minute 46 seconds longer. Over the next seven days Pietermaritzburg gains 12 minutes 23 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Pietermaritzburg the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 1 minute 48 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 Pietermaritzburg?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Pietermaritzburg falls on 10 June at 17:06, 11 days before the June solstice, and the latest on 9 January at 19:03.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 3 December at 04:50, latest on 1 July at 06:54, 10 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 | 3 Dec 2026 | 04:50 | 18 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 1 Jul 2026 | 06:54 | 10 days after the June solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 10 Jun 2026 | 17:06 | 11 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunset | 9 Jan 2026 | 19:03 | 19 days after the December solstice |
How long does twilight last in Pietermaritzburg?
First light in Pietermaritzburg arrives 24 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:12. After sunset the light hangs on for another 24 minutes, until 18:24. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Pietermaritzburg: it runs from 24 minutes at its shortest, in March, to 27 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 Pietermaritzburg?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 83.8 degrees above the horizon in Pietermaritzburg. On the June solstice it climbs only 37.0 degrees. Even at that lowest point, a noon shadow in Pietermaritzburg is only about 1.3 times the height of the object casting it.
Frequently asked questions about Pietermaritzburg
What time is sunrise in Pietermaritzburg today?
The sun rises in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa at 05:35 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 18:00. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Pietermaritzburg.
When is golden hour in Pietermaritzburg?
Pietermaritzburg has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:35 to 06:07, and the evening window from 17:28 to 18:00, 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 Pietermaritzburg?
Because Pietermaritzburg lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Pietermaritzburg the longer solstice day runs about 14h 3m and the shorter one about 10h 15m, 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 Pietermaritzburg accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg gain or lose each day?
Pietermaritzburg has 12h 24m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is gaining daylight: 12 minutes 23 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 1 minute 46 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 Pietermaritzburg?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Pietermaritzburg is on 10 June at 17:06, 11 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 Pietermaritzburg?
About 24 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:00 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:24, with full astronomical darkness at 19:20. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Pietermaritzburg's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -29.62, 30.39, time zone Africa/Johannesburg. 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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