Daylight Gained

Daylight Gained › Edinburgh

How much daylight has Edinburgh gained since the solstice?

Edinburgh's shortest day this winter is Monday, December 21, with 6 hours, 58 minutes of daylight. That is 52 minutes less than London gets on its shortest day. By January 31 it has gained 1 hour, 36 minutes.

Hours of daylight over 12 months
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DateDaylightSunriseSunset
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Edinburgh daylight dates, winter 2026–27

Earliest sunsetMonday, December 14, 3:38 pm
Shortest dayMonday, December 21, 6 h 58 min (sunrise 8:42 am, sunset 3:40 pm)
Latest sunriseTuesday, December 29, 8:44 am
7 hours of daylightMonday, December 28
First sunset after 4 pmSunday, January 10 (4:02 pm)
8 hours of daylightSaturday, January 23
9 hours of daylightSunday, February 7
10 hours of daylightSaturday, February 20
Longest dayMonday, June 21, 17 h 37 min

The December solstice is at 8:50 pm on December 21, Edinburgh time.

Daylight gained in Edinburgh, by date

DateSince solsticeDaylightThat daySunriseSunset
Jan 1+7 min 44 sec7 h 05 min+1 min 22 sec8:44 am3:49 pm
Jan 15+39 min7 h 37 min+2 min 55 sec8:34 am4:11 pm
Feb 1+1 h 40 min8 h 38 min+4 min 2 sec8:08 am4:46 pm
Feb 15+2 h 40 min9 h 38 min+4 min 27 sec7:39 am5:16 pm
Mar 1+3 h 44 min10 h 42 min+4 min 38 sec7:05 am5:46 pm
Mar 15+4 h 49 min11 h 47 min+4 min 41 sec6:29 am6:16 pm
Apr 1+6 h 09 min13 h 06 min+4 min 39 sec6:44 am7:50 pm

Edinburgh: questions people ask

How many hours of daylight does Edinburgh get in December?

7 h 25 min on December 1, falling to 6 h 58 min on the December 21 solstice (sunrise 8:42 am, sunset 3:40 pm). By December 31 it is back to 7 h 04 min. Twilight adds some usable light either side.

How long is the longest day in Edinburgh?

17 h 37 min, on June 21, 2027. The sun rises at 4:26 am and sets at 10:03 pm. That is 10 hours, 39 minutes more daylight than on the shortest day.

Does Edinburgh get less winter daylight than London?

Yes. Edinburgh's shortest day is 6 h 58 min, 52 minutes shorter than London's (7 h 50 min). Summer is the other way round: on the longest day Edinburgh gets 17 h 37 min, 58 minutes more than London.

When is the earliest sunset in Edinburgh?

December 14, 2026, at 3:38 pm. That is 7 days before the shortest day, because solar noon drifts later through December. The evenings are already a little lighter by the solstice.

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Sun times use NOAA's solar equations, checked against U.S. Naval Observatory tables. City data from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).