Daylight hours in Belfast
Belfast gets 17h 15m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 7h 18m on its shortest in December — a difference of 9h 57m across the year.
How fast the days change
Around 17 March, Belfast gains or loses about 4.5 minutes of daylight every day.
That is quick enough to notice week to week, which is why spring seems to arrive all at once this far from the equator.
Sunrise and sunset by month
On the 15th of each month, in Europe/London local time, daylight saving included.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Solar noon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:37 | 16:29 | 7h 52m | 12:33 |
| February | 07:44 | 17:30 | 9h 46m | 12:37 |
| March | 06:38 | 18:26 | 11h 49m | 12:32 |
| April | 06:21 | 20:26 | 14h 05m | 13:23 |
| May | 05:17 | 21:22 | 16h 05m | 13:20 |
| June | 04:46 | 22:01 | 17h 15m | 13:24 |
| July | 05:07 | 21:51 | 16h 44m | 13:29 |
| August | 05:59 | 20:56 | 14h 57m | 13:28 |
| September | 06:56 | 19:41 | 12h 45m | 13:18 |
| October | 07:52 | 18:26 | 10h 33m | 13:09 |
| November | 07:54 | 16:22 | 8h 28m | 12:08 |
| December | 08:40 | 15:57 | 7h 18m | 12:18 |
Solstices and equinoxes
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 20 Mar | 06:25 | 18:36 | 12h 11m |
| June solstice | 21 Jun | 04:47 | 22:03 | 17h 17m |
| September equinox | 22 Sep | 07:09 | 19:23 | 12h 14m |
| December solstice | 21 Dec | 08:44 | 15:59 | 7h 15m |
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 United Kingdom
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.