Daylight hours in Sofia
Sofia gets 15h 18m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 9h 04m on its shortest in December — a difference of 6h 15m across the year.
How fast the days change
Around 17 March, Sofia gains or loses about 2.9 minutes of daylight every day.
Enough to notice over a fortnight, though the seasons arrive more gently here than further from the equator.
Sunrise and sunset by month
On the 15th of each month, in Europe/Sofia local time, daylight saving included.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Solar noon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:54 | 17:17 | 9h 24m | 12:36 |
| February | 07:23 | 17:57 | 10h 34m | 12:40 |
| March | 06:38 | 18:32 | 11h 54m | 12:35 |
| April | 06:45 | 20:08 | 13h 23m | 13:26 |
| May | 06:04 | 20:41 | 14h 38m | 13:23 |
| June | 05:48 | 21:06 | 15h 18m | 13:27 |
| July | 06:02 | 21:03 | 15h 01m | 13:32 |
| August | 06:33 | 20:29 | 13h 56m | 13:31 |
| September | 07:06 | 19:37 | 12h 31m | 13:21 |
| October | 07:39 | 18:45 | 11h 05m | 13:12 |
| November | 07:18 | 17:04 | 9h 46m | 12:11 |
| December | 07:49 | 16:53 | 9h 04m | 12:21 |
Solstices and equinoxes
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 20 Mar | 06:29 | 18:38 | 12h 09m |
| June solstice | 21 Jun | 05:48 | 21:08 | 15h 19m |
| September equinox | 22 Sep | 07:14 | 19:24 | 12h 11m |
| December solstice | 21 Dec | 07:53 | 16:55 | 9h 02m |
The equinoxes give almost exactly twelve hours of daylight everywhere on earth — "almost" because sunrise is defined by the sun's upper edge rather than its centre, and the atmosphere bends its light over the horizon before it has really arrived. Both lengthen the day by a few minutes.
Other cities in Bulgaria
Assumptions
- Sea-level horizon. Hills, mountains and buildings all delay sunrise and bring sunset forward, sometimes by a lot in a valley.
- Standard refraction. Sunrise is taken at −0.833°, allowing for the sun's disc and average atmospheric bending. Unusual air conditions shift it by a minute or two.
- Local clock time, with daylight saving applied from the IANA timezone database.