Sunrise & Sunset Time in Boston
What time are sunrise and sunset in Boston? The Sun rises between 5:07 AM (June 14) and 7:16 AM (October 31). Boston sits at the eastern edge of its time zone, so the Sun sets early by the clock: 4:12 PM on December 8 at the earliest, the earliest on this list, and 8:25 PM on June 27 at the latest.
A place and a date: sunrise, sunset, the golden and blue hours for your photos, and which side of the plane sees the sunset.
Golden hour and sunset
The hour after sunrise and before sunsetThe golden hour is while the Sun is low: from 4° below the horizon to 6° above it (PhotoPills). Pick a place and a date for its times.
Sunrise and sunset as the U.S. Naval Observatory defines them; golden and blue hours: PhotoPills and timeanddate.com. Places: GeoNames.
The calculator above opens on Boston, MA: pick any date for its sunrise, sunset, golden and blue hours, or type another town.
Sunrise and sunset in Boston, month by month
The times on the 15th of each month of 2026, in local clock time (Eastern Time). A golden hour is the Sun between 4° below the horizon and 6° above it — after sunrise and before sunset; the evening blue hour, 4° to 6° below (PhotoPills).
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Morning golden hour | Sunset | Evening golden hour | Blue hour | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:11 AM | 6:52 AM–7:54 AM | 4:37 PM | 3:53 PM–4:56 PM | 4:56 PM–5:08 PM | 9 h 26 min |
| February | 6:41 AM | 6:23 AM–7:20 AM | 5:17 PM | 4:37 PM–5:34 PM | 5:34 PM–5:46 PM | 10 h 36 min |
| March | 6:56 AM | 6:39 AM–7:33 AM | 6:51 PM | 6:14 PM–7:08 PM | 7:08 PM–7:19 PM | 11 h 55 min |
| April | 6:03 AM | 5:45 AM–6:41 AM | 7:26 PM | 6:48 PM–7:44 PM | 7:44 PM–7:55 PM | 13 h 23 min |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:03 AM–6:03 AM | 7:59 PM | 7:19 PM–8:19 PM | 8:19 PM–8:31 PM | 14 h 36 min |
| June | 5:07 AM | 4:46 AM–5:49 AM | 8:23 PM | 7:40 PM–8:44 PM | 8:44 PM–8:58 PM | 15 h 16 min |
| July | 5:21 AM | 5:01 AM–6:02 AM | 8:19 PM | 7:38 PM–8:39 PM | 8:39 PM–8:53 PM | 14 h 58 min |
| August | 5:51 AM | 5:33 AM–6:30 AM | 7:45 PM | 7:07 PM–8:04 PM | 8:04 PM–8:15 PM | 13 h 54 min |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:07 AM–7:01 AM | 6:54 PM | 6:17 PM–7:11 PM | 7:11 PM–7:22 PM | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 6:57 AM | 6:40 AM–7:35 AM | 6:02 PM | 5:24 PM–6:20 PM | 6:20 PM–6:30 PM | 11 h 5 min |
| November | 6:35 AM | 6:16 AM–7:17 AM | 4:22 PM | 3:40 PM–4:41 PM | 4:41 PM–4:52 PM | 9 h 47 min |
| December | 7:06 AM | 6:47 AM–7:52 AM | 4:12 PM | 3:27 PM–4:32 PM | 4:32 PM–4:44 PM | 9 h 6 min |
The latest and earliest sunsets
The latest sunset of the year is 8:25 PM on June 27, and the earliest 4:12 PM on December 8: 4 h 14 min apart on the clock.
The clocks change twice: the sunset jumps an hour later on March 8, from 5:41 PM to 6:43 PM, and an hour earlier on November 1, from 5:39 PM to 4:37 PM.
The earliest and latest sunrises
The mornings do not mirror the evenings: the earliest sunrise is 5:07 AM on June 14, and the latest 7:16 AM on October 31 (the last morning of daylight saving time). It is the clocks: October 31 is the last morning of daylight saving time, and the next day, when the clocks go back an hour, the Sun rises at 6:18 AM.
Where the Sun sets
At the June solstice the Sun sets in the west-northwest (303°); at the December solstice, in the west-southwest (238°). A view that faces the sunset in summer can miss it in winter by 65° of horizon.
Travel Magma’s Boston guides pick two places for it: the Harborwalk and the Charles River Esplanade, “an ideal place to watch the sunset”.
Plan it
- Boston beyond the Freedom Trail
- Cool things to do in Boston
- Golden Hour & Sunset Calculator: any place, any date
FAQ
What time is sunset in Boston today?
The calculator at the top of this page gives today’s sunset for Boston, MA, with the golden and blue hours. Through the year it runs from 4:12 PM on December 8 (the earliest) to 8:25 PM on June 27 (the latest).
What time is sunrise in Boston?
Between 5:07 AM on June 14, the earliest, and 7:16 AM on October 31 (the last morning of daylight saving time), the latest. On June 15 the Sun rises at 5:07 AM; on December 15, at 7:06 AM. The calculator above gives today’s.
When is the latest sunset in Boston?
8:25 PM on June 27, in daylight saving time. The longest day, June 21, is not the latest sunset: the Sun keeps setting a little later for 6 days after it.
When is the earliest sunset in Boston?
4:12 PM on December 8, in standard time, 13 days before the shortest day, December 21: from then on the evenings get longer while the mornings still get darker into January.
Why is the latest sunrise in Boston on October 31?
It is the clocks: October 31 is the last morning of daylight saving time, and the next day, when the clocks go back an hour, the Sun rises at 6:18 AM.
When is golden hour in Boston?
Twice a day, while the Sun is between 6° above the horizon and 4° below it: after sunrise and before sunset. On June 15 the evening one is 7:40 PM–8:44 PM and the morning one 4:46 AM–5:49 AM; on December 15, 3:27 PM–4:32 PM and 6:47 AM–7:52 AM. Use the calculator above for any date.
Where does the sun set in Boston?
In the west-northwest (303°) at the June solstice and in the west-southwest (238°) at the December solstice; at the equinoxes it sets due west.
How these times are made
Sunrise and sunset are the Sun’s centre 0.8333° below the horizon, as the U.S. Naval Observatory defines them, computed with NOAA’s solar position series for Boston, MA (42.36°, -71.06°) and the zone’s own clock rules. The golden and blue hours are the bands PhotoPills uses. A time can differ by a minute from another calculator’s, and from what you see behind hills or buildings. Places: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).