howmuchsun

Daylight hours in Dunedin

Dunedin gets 15h 42m of daylight on its longest day in December, and 8h 41m on its shortest in June — a difference of 7h 01m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 6 April, Dunedin gains or loses about 3.3 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 Pacific/Auckland local time, daylight saving included.

Sunrise, sunset and day length by month.
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightSolar noon
January 06:07 21:26 15h 19m 13:47
February 06:53 20:51 13h 58m 13:52
March 07:33 20:01 12h 28m 13:47
April 07:13 18:02 10h 49m 12:38
May 07:51 17:17 9h 26m 12:34
June 08:18 16:58 8h 41m 12:38
July 08:14 17:13 8h 59m 12:43
August 07:37 17:47 10h 10m 12:42
September 06:41 18:25 11h 44m 12:33
October 06:43 20:03 13h 20m 13:23
November 05:56 20:48 14h 51m 13:22
December 05:41 21:23 15h 42m 13:32

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 07:39 19:51 12h 12m
June solstice 21 Jun 08:20 16:59 8h 39m
September equinox 22 Sep 06:27 18:34 12h 06m
December solstice 21 Dec 05:43 21:27 15h 44m

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 New Zealand

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.

Full methodology, sources and known limitations