Today in Manchester
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Coordinates
| Latitude | 53.4808° |
| Longitude | -2.2426° |
| Timezone | Europe/London |
| Elevation | 38 m |
Sunrise, sunset and sun path in Manchester
Manchester, England, United Kingdom · 53.4808°, -2.2426° · Europe/London
The sun's path today
you stand at the centre; the rim is your horizonWhat the sun does here through the year
Manchester sits at latitude 53.48°, which sets the whole shape of its year. The longest day runs to 17h 02m and the shortest shrinks to 7h 28m — a swing of 9h 34m between the two solstices.
The sun climbs to 60.0° above the horizon at midsummer noon, but only 13.1° 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 8.6 m long at midwinter noon here, against just 1.2 m in June.
Sunrise swings a long way round the horizon through the year. In Manchester the sun comes up at a bearing of 47° (NE) at the summer solstice and 130° (SE) at the winter one — a spread of 83°. 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 37°. Panels at 44° facing south are close to the annual optimum at this latitude.
Sunrise and sunset by month in Manchester
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Noon sun | Sunrise bearing | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:16 | 16:19 | 8h 03m | 15.5° | SE 126° | SW 234° |
| February | 07:27 | 17:18 | 9h 52m | 24.0° | ESE 110° | WSW 250° |
| March | 06:23 | 18:12 | 11h 49m | 34.5° | E 92° | W 268° |
| April | 06:08 | 20:09 | 14h 00m | 46.4° | ENE 72° | WNW 288° |
| May | 05:08 | 21:02 | 15h 54m | 55.5° | NE 56° | NW 304° |
| June | 04:39 | 21:39 | 16h 00m | 59.8° | NE 47° | NW 313° |
| July | 04:59 | 21:30 | 16h 31m | 58.0° | NE 51° | NW 309° |
| August | 05:48 | 20:38 | 14h 49m | 50.5° | ENE 65° | WNW 295° |
| September | 06:42 | 19:25 | 12h 43m | 39.4° | E 84° | W 276° |
| October | 07:36 | 18:13 | 10h 37m | 27.9° | ESE 103° | WSW 257° |
| November | 07:34 | 16:12 | 8h 38m | 18.0° | ESE 121° | WSW 239° |
| December | 08:18 | 15:49 | 7h 31m | 13.3° | SE 130° | SW 230° |
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 Manchester?
At the summer solstice the sun rises at 04:39 and sets at 21:41. At the winter solstice it rises at 08:22 and sets at 15:51. All times are local to Europe/London and include daylight saving where it applies.
How high does the sun get in Manchester?
The midday sun reaches 60.0° above the horizon at the summer solstice and 13.1° at the winter solstice. At the equinoxes it sits at 36.5°.
How long is the longest day in Manchester?
17h 02m from sunrise to sunset, against 7h 28m on the shortest day — a difference of 9h 34m.
Want this for your exact address?
These figures are for the centre of Manchester. 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.