Today in Edinburgh
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Coordinates
| Latitude | 55.9533° |
| Longitude | -3.1883° |
| Timezone | Europe/London |
| Elevation | 47 m |
Sunrise, sunset and sun path in Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom · 55.9533°, -3.1883° · Europe/London
The sun's path today
you stand at the centre; the rim is your horizonWhat the sun does here through the year
Edinburgh sits at latitude 55.95°, which sets the whole shape of its year. The longest day runs to 17h 36m and the shortest shrinks to 6h 57m — a swing of 10h 39m between the two solstices.
The sun climbs to 57.5° above the horizon at midsummer noon, but only 10.7° at midwinter. That difference matters more than the daylight hours do, because a low sun is easily blocked: a 2 m fence casts a shadow 10.6 m long at midwinter noon here, against just 1.3 m in June.
Sunrise swings a long way round the horizon through the year. In Edinburgh the sun comes up at a bearing of 43° (NE) at the summer solstice and 134° (SE) at the winter one — a spread of 91°. This is why a window that catches the sunrise in June can sit in shade all winter: the sun is simply rising somewhere else.
For anything you are aiming at the sun — solar panels, a greenhouse, a seating area — the useful rule here is that the sun spends the middle of the day roughly south of you, and reaches its yearly average noon height of about 34°. Panels at 46° facing south are close to the annual optimum at this latitude.
Sunrise and sunset by month in Edinburgh
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Noon sun | Sunrise bearing | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:33 | 16:10 | 7h 37m | 13.1° | SE 128° | SW 232° |
| February | 07:37 | 17:16 | 9h 39m | 21.5° | ESE 112° | WSW 248° |
| March | 06:27 | 18:15 | 11h 48m | 32.1° | E 92° | W 268° |
| April | 06:06 | 20:18 | 14h 12m | 43.9° | ENE 71° | WNW 289° |
| May | 04:59 | 21:18 | 16h 19m | 53.0° | NE 53° | NW 307° |
| June | 04:26 | 22:00 | 17h 34m | 57.4° | NE 43° | NW 317° |
| July | 04:48 | 21:49 | 17h 01m | 55.5° | NE 47° | NW 312° |
| August | 05:44 | 20:50 | 15h 06m | 48.0° | ENE 63° | WNW 297° |
| September | 06:44 | 19:31 | 12h 47m | 37.0° | E 83° | W 276° |
| October | 07:44 | 18:12 | 10h 29m | 25.5° | ESE 104° | WSW 256° |
| November | 07:49 | 16:05 | 8h 16m | 15.5° | ESE 123° | WSW 237° |
| December | 08:37 | 15:37 | 7h 00m | 10.8° | SE 133° | SW 227° |
Calculated for the 15th of each month in 2026, local time, including daylight saving. Bearings are compass degrees from north.
Frequently asked
What time does the sun rise and set in Edinburgh?
At the summer solstice the sun rises at 04:26 and sets at 22:02. At the winter solstice it rises at 08:42 and sets at 15:39. All times are local to Europe/London and include daylight saving where it applies.
How high does the sun get in Edinburgh?
The midday sun reaches 57.5° above the horizon at the summer solstice and 10.7° at the winter solstice. At the equinoxes it sits at 34.0°.
How long is the longest day in Edinburgh?
17h 36m from sunrise to sunset, against 6h 57m on the shortest day — a difference of 10h 39m.
Want this for your exact address?
These figures are for the centre of Edinburgh. Sun times shift by only a few seconds per kilometre, so they hold across the whole city — but your own horizon does not. Use the tools to add the buildings, fences and trees that actually block your light.