How the light changes today
Each colour is a stage of the sky, from full night to full daylight and back. The marker is the time in Washington right now.
Morning
- Astronomical dawn05:55
- Nautical dawn06:26
- Civil dawn · blue hour06:57
- Golden hour begins07:07
- Sunrise07:24
- Golden hour ends08:00
Evening
- Golden hour begins17:45
- Sunset18:21
- Golden hour ends · blue hour18:38
- Civil dusk18:48
- Nautical dusk19:19
- Astronomical dusk19:50
What do civil, nautical and astronomical twilight mean? Read the guide →
Where the sun rises and sets
Directions from Washington today. The shaded fans show how far sunrise and sunset swing between June and December; the dot is the sun right now.
Coming up in Washington
Sunrise and sunset on any date
Pick a day of 2026 to see its sunrise, sunset and daylight in Washington.
Moon 54% lit
Waxing gibbous
- Moonrise
- 16:01
- Moonset
- 02:23
- Full moon
- 26 Oct
- New moon
- 9 Nov
76%
84%
91%
96%
99%
100%
97%
Today in Washington
Today the sun rises over Washington at 07:24 and sets at 18:21, giving 10 h 57 min of daylight.
Across 2026 the day length in Washington swings by 5 h 28 min, from 9 h 26 min on 21 December to 14 h 54 min on 21 June.
The earliest sunrise of 2026 falls on 13 June, at 05:42 - not on the longest day, because the equation of time pulls the two apart.
The moon is waxing tonight, 76% lit.
A year of daylight in Washington
Every column is one day of 2026, from midnight at the top to midnight at the bottom. Hover or drag across it to read any day.
The light in Washington, season by season
Through the year
- 93 days with more than 14 hours of daylight, from 6 May to 6 August.
- Earliest sunset of the year: 16:46 on 6 December, 15 days before the shortest day.
- Latest sunrise of the year: 07:34 on 31 October.
For photographers
- Golden hour this evening: 17:45–18:38, with the sun low in the west (255°).
- Blue hour right after: 18:38–18:48.
- Over the week the evening golden hour moves from 17:45 today to 17:36 on 27 October.
- Tomorrow's morning golden hour: 07:08–08:01.
Washington compared with other cities
How much daylight each city gets between the shortest and the longest day of 2026.
New York City, on the same clock, sees the sun rise 10 min earlier than Washington today.
On 21 June Montréal gets 47 min more daylight than Washington, and on 21 December 44 min less.
October 2026 in Washington
Sunrise, sunset and day length for every day of the month. The bar shows where the daylight falls in the 24 hours.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Day length | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Thu | 07:04 | 18:51 | 11 h 47 min | −2 min | |
| 2Fri | 07:05 | 18:49 | 11 h 44 min | −3 min | |
| 3Sat | 07:06 | 18:48 | 11 h 42 min | −2 min | |
| 4Sun | 07:07 | 18:46 | 11 h 39 min | −3 min | |
| 5Mon | 07:08 | 18:44 | 11 h 37 min | −2 min | |
| 6Tue | 07:09 | 18:43 | 11 h 34 min | −3 min | |
| 7Wed | 07:10 | 18:41 | 11 h 32 min | −2 min | |
| 8Thu | 07:11 | 18:40 | 11 h 29 min | −3 min | |
| 9Fri | 07:12 | 18:38 | 11 h 27 min | −2 min | |
| 10Sat | 07:13 | 18:37 | 11 h 24 min | −3 min | |
| 11Sun | 07:14 | 18:35 | 11 h 22 min | −2 min | |
| 12Mon | 07:15 | 18:34 | 11 h 19 min | −3 min | |
| 13Tue | 07:16 | 18:32 | 11 h 17 min | −2 min | |
| 14Wed | 07:17 | 18:31 | 11 h 14 min | −3 min | |
| 15Thu | 07:18 | 18:30 | 11 h 12 min | −2 min | |
| 16Fri | 07:19 | 18:28 | 11 h 9 min | −3 min | |
| 17Sat | 07:20 | 18:27 | 11 h 7 min | −2 min | |
| 18Sun | 07:21 | 18:25 | 11 h 5 min | −2 min | |
| 19Mon | 07:22 | 18:24 | 11 h 2 min | −3 min | |
| 20Tue | 07:23 | 18:22 | 11 h 0 min | −2 min | |
| 21Wed | 07:24 | 18:21 | 10 h 57 min | −3 min | |
| 22Thu | 07:25 | 18:20 | 10 h 55 min | −2 min | |
| 23Fri | 07:26 | 18:18 | 10 h 53 min | −2 min | |
| 24Sat | 07:27 | 18:17 | 10 h 50 min | −3 min | |
| 25Sun | 07:28 | 18:16 | 10 h 48 min | −2 min | |
| 26Mon | 07:29 | 18:15 | 10 h 46 min | −2 min | |
| 27Tue | 07:30 | 18:13 | 10 h 43 min | −3 min | |
| 28Wed | 07:31 | 18:12 | 10 h 41 min | −2 min | |
| 29Thu | 07:32 | 18:11 | 10 h 39 min | −2 min | |
| 30Fri | 07:33 | 18:10 | 10 h 37 min | −2 min | |
| 31Sat | 07:34 | 18:09 | 10 h 34 min | −3 min |
Common questions about the sun in Washington
What time does the sun rise in Washington?
Today the sun rises in Washington at 07:24, local time.
What time does the sun set in Washington?
Today the sun sets in Washington at 18:21, local time.
How long is the day in Washington today?
Washington gets 10 h 57 min of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset.
When is the longest day of the year in Washington?
The longest day of 2026 in Washington is 21 June, with 14 h 54 min of daylight.
What phase is the moon in tonight?
The moon is waxing over Washington tonight, 76% lit.
When do the clocks change in Washington?
The clocks go back one hour on 1 November. That day sunrise moves from 07:34 to 06:35.
Where does the sun rise in Washington?
Today it rises in the east (103°). Through the year the sunrise point swings from the north-east (58°) in June to the south-east (120°) in December.
When is golden hour in Washington today?
In the morning from 07:07 to 08:00, and in the evening from 17:45 to 18:38.
When is the earliest sunset in Washington?
On 6 December, at 16:46. It comes 15 days before the shortest day, which is 21 December.
Cities at the same latitude as Washington
At a similar latitude the day lasts almost the same on any date; the clock time of sunrise and sunset still depends on each time zone.