howmuchsun

Daylight hours in Gaborone

Gaborone gets 13h 39m of daylight on its longest day in December, and 10h 37m on its shortest in June — a difference of 3h 02m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 17 March, Gaborone gains or loses about 1.5 minutes of daylight every day.

Barely perceptible — near the equator the length of the day hardly changes at all, and the seasons announce themselves through rain and heat instead.

Sunrise and sunset by month

On the 15th of each month, in Africa/Gaborone local time, daylight saving included.

Sunrise, sunset and day length by month.
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightSolar noon
January 05:40 19:10 13h 30m 12:25
February 06:03 18:57 12h 55m 12:30
March 06:17 18:32 12h 15m 12:25
April 06:30 18:01 11h 31m 12:16
May 06:45 17:40 10h 55m 12:12
June 06:58 17:35 10h 37m 12:16
July 07:00 17:44 10h 45m 12:22
August 06:43 17:58 11h 15m 12:20
September 06:13 18:09 11h 57m 12:11
October 05:42 18:21 12h 39m 12:02
November 05:21 18:40 13h 19m 12:00
December 05:21 19:01 13h 39m 12:11

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 06:20 18:27 12h 08m
June solstice 21 Jun 07:00 17:36 10h 36m
September equinox 22 Sep 06:05 18:12 12h 06m
December solstice 21 Dec 05:24 19:04 13h 40m

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 Botswana

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