howmuchsun

Daylight hours in Invercargill

Invercargill gets 15h 46m of daylight on its longest day in December, and 8h 37m on its shortest in June — a difference of 7h 10m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 6 April, Invercargill gains or loses about 3.4 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 06:14 21:37 15h 23m 13:55
February 07:00 21:00 14h 00m 14:00
March 07:41 20:09 12h 28m 13:55
April 07:23 18:10 10h 47m 12:46
May 08:01 17:24 9h 23m 12:42
June 08:28 17:05 8h 37m 12:47
July 08:24 17:20 8h 55m 12:52
August 07:47 17:55 10h 08m 12:51
September 06:50 18:33 11h 44m 12:42
October 06:51 20:13 13h 21m 13:32
November 06:03 20:58 14h 55m 13:31
December 05:48 21:34 15h 46m 13:41

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 07:48 20:00 12h 12m
June solstice 21 Jun 08:30 17:05 8h 35m
September equinox 22 Sep 06:36 18:42 12h 06m
December solstice 21 Dec 05:50 21:38 15h 49m

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