Durham, North Carolina Sunset Time Today

Durham sunset and sunrise times, golden hour, blue hour, and how your daylight is changing

Durham, NC · Sunset & sunrise today

Sunset 7:13 PM Sunrise 7:02 AM

12h 11m of daylight, −2m shorter than yesterday.

Tomorrow in Durham · Tue, Sep 22

Sunrise tomorrow: 7:03 AM · Sunset tomorrow: 7:12 PM

Sunrise 1 minute later than today · sunset 1 minute earlier than today

In Durham, the sun rises at 7:03 AM tomorrow and sets at 7:12 PM.

Golden hour & blue hour today

Morning

Golden hour7:02 AM7:37 AM

Blue hour6:38 AM7:02 AM

Evening

Golden hour6:42 PM7:13 PM

Blue hour7:13 PM7:41 PM

Golden hour: the sun between the horizon and 6° up. Blue hour: civil twilight, down to 6° below the horizon.

Sunrise time in Durham

The sun rises in Durham at 7:02 AM today and at 7:03 AM tomorrow (1 minute later than today).

First light comes before the sun itself: civil twilight — the blue-hour glow already bright enough to see by — begins at 6:38 AM.

For photographers, the morning golden hour — the warm, low-angle light until the sun climbs 6° — runs from 7:02 AM to 7:37 AM.

Sunrise & sunset this week

DaySunriseSunsetDaylight
Today7:02 AM7:13 PM12h 11m
Tue, Sep 227:03 AM7:12 PM12h 9m
Wed, Sep 237:04 AM7:10 PM12h 6m
Thu, Sep 247:05 AM7:09 PM12h 4m
Fri, Sep 257:05 AM7:07 PM12h 2m
Sat, Sep 267:06 AM7:06 PM12h 0m
Sun, Sep 277:07 AM7:04 PM11h 57m

Durham daylight month by month

The 1st of each month in 2026, in local time.

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylight
Jan7:27 AM5:13 PM9h 46m
Feb7:17 AM5:43 PM10h 26m
Mar6:47 AM6:11 PM11h 24m
Apr7:03 AM7:38 PM12h 35m
May6:24 AM8:03 PM13h 39m
Jun6:01 AM8:28 PM14h 26m
Jul6:03 AM8:37 PM14h 34m
Aug6:24 AM8:22 PM13h 58m
Sep6:48 AM7:45 PM12h 57m
Oct7:11 AM7:01 PM11h 50m
Nov6:39 AM5:21 PM10h 42m
Dec7:09 AM5:03 PM9h 54m

Durham’s longest and shortest days

From 14h 36m of daylight on June 21, 2026 to 9h 43m on December 21, 2026.

Solar landmarkDate (2026)Daylight
Longest dayJun 2114h 36m
Spring equinoxMar 2012h 7m
Fall equinoxSep 2212h 10m
Shortest dayDec 219h 43m

How fast Durham gains and loses daylight

Daily rate at mid-month; net change across the month.

MonthDaily rateNet change
Jangaining 1m 16s a day+40m
Febgaining 2m 6s a day+58m
Margaining 2m 18s a day+1h 11m
Aprgaining 2m 10s a day+1h 4m
Maygaining 1m 36s a day+47m
Jungaining 19s a day+8m
Jullosing 1m 7s a day−36m
Auglosing 1m 59s a day−1h 1m
Seplosing 2m 15s a day−1h 7m
Octlosing 2m 12s a day−1h 7m
Novlosing 1m 41s a day−48m
Declosing 22s a day−8m

Durham golden hour & blue hour by season

The same altitude-based windows as today’s card, at each solstice and equinox.

SeasonEvening goldEvening blueMorning goldMorning blue
Spring equinox6:54–7:28 PM7:28–7:53 PM7:20–7:54 AM6:55–7:20 AM
Summer solstice7:58–8:36 PM8:36–9:07 PM6:00–6:38 AM5:30–6:00 AM
Fall equinox6:40–7:14 PM7:14–7:40 PM7:04–7:38 AM6:39–7:04 AM
Winter solstice4:26–5:06 PM5:06–5:34 PM7:23–8:03 AM6:55–7:23 AM

Daylight saving time in Durham

Clocks move an hour; the daylight doesn’t change.

Clock changeDate (2026)UTC offset
Spring forwardSun, Mar 8UTC−4
Fall backSun, Nov 1UTC−5

Why sunset time shifts in Durham

Sunset drifts through the year with Earth’s ~23.4° axial tilt — see the full daylight explainer.

In Durham, the longest day carries about 14h 36m of daylight and the shortest just 9h 43m — a swing of roughly 4h 54m between the June and December solstices. The farther a place sits from the equator, the wider that gap; the pace also isn’t steady, moving fastest near the equinoxes and barely at all near the solstices. Every figure here is computed from the sun’s position for Durham’s exact coordinates, in local time.

Frequently asked

When is the earliest and latest sunset in Durham?
Durham's earliest sunset in 2026 is 5:02 PM around December 6, 15 days before the shortest day. The latest is 8:37 PM around June 29, 8 days after the longest day. Both are local clock times.
How much daylight does Durham get on the longest and shortest days?
Durham gets about 14h 36m of daylight on the longest day, June 21, 2026, and 9h 43m on the shortest, December 21, 2026: a swing of 4h 54m.
When is golden hour in Durham?
Near the June solstice, Durham's evening golden hour runs 7:58–8:36 PM and the morning one 6:00–6:38 AM. Near the December solstice they run 4:26–5:06 PM and 7:23–8:03 AM. Golden hour here is the time the sun spends between the horizon and 6° up.

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