Sunrise & Sunset Time in San Diego
What time are sunrise and sunset in San Diego? The Sun rises between 5:40 AM (June 11) and 7:08 AM (March 8). San Diego’s sunset runs from 4:42 PM on December 3 to 8:01 PM on June 29. Its summer sunsets come earlier by the clock than New York’s: 7:58 PM on June 15, with the golden hour 7:22 PM–8:16 PM.
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 San Diego, CA: pick any date for its sunrise, sunset, golden and blue hours, or type another town.
Sunrise and sunset in San Diego, month by month
The times on the 15th of each month of 2026, in local clock time (Pacific 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 | 6:51 AM | 6:35 AM–7:28 AM | 5:06 PM | 4:29 PM–5:22 PM | 5:22 PM–5:32 PM | 10 h 15 min |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:16 AM–7:05 AM | 5:34 PM | 5:00 PM–5:50 PM | 5:50 PM–6:00 PM | 11 h 3 min |
| March | 6:59 AM | 6:44 AM–7:31 AM | 6:57 PM | 6:24 PM–7:12 PM | 7:12 PM–7:21 PM | 11 h 58 min |
| April | 6:19 AM | 6:03 AM–6:52 AM | 7:19 PM | 6:46 PM–7:34 PM | 7:34 PM–7:44 PM | 13 h |
| May | 5:50 AM | 5:33 AM–6:25 AM | 7:41 PM | 7:06 PM–7:57 PM | 7:57 PM–8:08 PM | 13 h 51 min |
| June | 5:40 AM | 5:23 AM–6:17 AM | 7:58 PM | 7:22 PM–8:16 PM | 8:16 PM–8:27 PM | 14 h 18 min |
| July | 5:52 AM | 5:35 AM–6:27 AM | 7:57 PM | 7:22 PM–8:14 PM | 8:14 PM–8:25 PM | 14 h 6 min |
| August | 6:12 AM | 5:56 AM–6:46 AM | 7:33 PM | 7:00 PM–7:49 PM | 7:49 PM–7:59 PM | 13 h 21 min |
| September | 6:32 AM | 6:17 AM–7:05 AM | 6:55 PM | 6:22 PM–7:10 PM | 7:10 PM–7:19 PM | 12 h 22 min |
| October | 6:53 AM | 6:38 AM–7:26 AM | 6:15 PM | 5:42 PM–6:31 PM | 6:31 PM–6:40 PM | 11 h 23 min |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:03 AM–6:54 AM | 4:47 PM | 4:12 PM–5:03 PM | 5:03 PM–5:14 PM | 10 h 29 min |
| December | 6:44 AM | 6:27 AM–7:21 AM | 4:44 PM | 4:07 PM–5:01 PM | 5:01 PM–5:12 PM | 10 h 1 min |
The latest and earliest sunsets
The latest sunset of the year is 8:01 PM on June 29, and the earliest 4:42 PM on December 3: 3 h 18 min apart on the clock.
The clocks change twice: the sunset jumps an hour later on March 8, from 5:51 PM to 6:52 PM, and an hour earlier on November 1, from 5:58 PM to 4:58 PM.
The earliest and latest sunrises
The mornings do not mirror the evenings: the earliest sunrise is 5:40 AM on June 11, and the latest 7:08 AM on March 8 (the first morning of daylight saving time). It is the clocks: on March 8 they have just gone forward an hour, so the Sun that rose at 6:09 AM the day before rises at 7:08 AM.
Where the Sun sets
At the June solstice the Sun sets in the west-northwest (299°); at the December solstice, in the west-southwest (242°). A view that faces the sunset in summer can miss it in winter by 56° of horizon.
Travel Magma’s San Diego guide calls Sunset Cliffs Natural Park “the view you didn’t know you were missing”. On the Pacific side of Point Loma it faces the sunset all year, from the west-southwest in December to the west-northwest in June.
Plan it
- San Diego vacation ideas and things to do
- California road trip: San Francisco to San Diego
- Golden Hour & Sunset Calculator: any place, any date
FAQ
What time is sunset in San Diego today?
The calculator at the top of this page gives today’s sunset for San Diego, CA, with the golden and blue hours. Through the year it runs from 4:42 PM on December 3 (the earliest) to 8:01 PM on June 29 (the latest).
What time is sunrise in San Diego?
Between 5:40 AM on June 11, the earliest, and 7:08 AM on March 8 (the first morning of daylight saving time), the latest. On June 15 the Sun rises at 5:40 AM; on December 15, at 6:44 AM. The calculator above gives today’s.
When is the latest sunset in San Diego?
8:01 PM on June 29, in daylight saving time. The longest day, June 21, is not the latest sunset: the Sun keeps setting a little later for 8 days after it.
When is the earliest sunset in San Diego?
4:42 PM on December 3, in standard time, 18 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 San Diego on March 8?
It is the clocks: on March 8 they have just gone forward an hour, so the Sun that rose at 6:09 AM the day before rises at 7:08 AM.
When is golden hour in San Diego?
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 7:22 PM–8:16 PM and the morning one 5:23 AM–6:17 AM; on December 15, 4:07 PM–5:01 PM and 6:27 AM–7:21 AM. Use the calculator above for any date.
Where does the sun set in San Diego?
In the west-northwest (299°) at the June solstice and in the west-southwest (242°) 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 San Diego, CA (32.72°, -117.16°) 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).