Sunrise & sunset times in Pretoria
Sunrise in Pretoria today is at 05:45 and sunset is at 18:07, giving 12h 21m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Pretoria's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:36 to 18:07. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Pretoria, South Africa. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:53 and sets at 17:24 in Pretoria (10h 32m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 05:12 and sets at 18:57 (13h 45m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:10 | 18:18 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 06:53 | 17:24 | 10h 32m |
| September equinox | 05:56 | 18:03 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 05:12 | 18:57 | 13h 45m |
Full sun timeline for Pretoria
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 Pretoria
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:29 | 19:03 | 13h 34m |
| February | 05:52 | 18:49 | 12h 57m |
| March | 06:08 | 18:23 | 12h 16m |
| April | 06:22 | 17:51 | 11h 29m |
| May | 06:37 | 17:29 | 10h 52m |
| June | 06:51 | 17:23 | 10h 32m |
| July | 06:52 | 17:33 | 10h 40m |
| August | 06:35 | 17:47 | 11h 12m |
| September | 06:04 | 18:00 | 11h 56m |
| October | 05:32 | 18:13 | 12h 41m |
| November | 05:10 | 18:33 | 13h 22m |
| December | 05:10 | 18:54 | 13h 44m |
Sun and moon in Pretoria
For photographers, gardeners, runners and anyone chasing good light, the daily sun and moon schedule for Pretoria 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 Pretoria. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Pretoria, South Africa. Pretoria sits at roughly 25.75 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 Pretoria 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 Pretoria. 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 Pretoria, South Africa for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Pretoria today?
The sun sets in Pretoria at 18:07 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Pretoria's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:36, 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 18:30, and the sky is properly dark at 19:24, 1h 17m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:07 in Pretoria. To the minute, that is the same time as today. Over the coming week sunset moves 3 minutes 11 seconds later.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Pretoria.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Pretoria right now?
Pretoria gets 12h 21m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 1 minute 30 seconds longer. Over the next seven days Pretoria gains 10 minutes 31 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Pretoria the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 1 minute 32 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 Pretoria?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Pretoria falls on 8 June at 17:23, 13 days before the June solstice, and the latest on 12 January at 19:03.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 30 November at 05:07, latest on 2 July at 06:54, 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 | 05:07 | 21 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 2 Jul 2026 | 06:54 | 11 days after the June solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 8 Jun 2026 | 17:23 | 13 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunset | 12 Jan 2026 | 19:03 | 22 days after the December solstice |
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Pretoria.
How long does twilight last in Pretoria?
First light in Pretoria arrives 23 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:22. After sunset the light hangs on for another 23 minutes, until 18:30. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Pretoria: 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.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Pretoria and dusk in Pretoria.
How high does the sun get in Pretoria?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 87.7 degrees above the horizon in Pretoria. On the June solstice it climbs only 40.8 degrees. Even at that lowest point, a noon shadow in Pretoria is only about 1.2 times the height of the object casting it.
Frequently asked questions about Pretoria
What time is sunrise in Pretoria today?
The sun rises in Pretoria, South Africa at 05:45 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 18:07. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Pretoria.
When is golden hour in Pretoria?
Pretoria has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:45 to 06:16, and the evening window from 17:36 to 18:07, 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 Pretoria?
Because Pretoria lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Pretoria the longer solstice day runs about 13h 45m and the shorter one about 10h 32m, 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 Pretoria accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Pretoria 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 Pretoria?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Pretoria 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 Pretoria gain or lose each day?
Pretoria has 12h 21m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is gaining daylight: 10 minutes 31 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 1 minute 30 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 Pretoria?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Pretoria is on 8 June at 17:23, 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 Pretoria?
About 23 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:07 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:30, with full astronomical darkness at 19:24. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Pretoria's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -25.75, 28.23, 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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