Sunrise, Sunset & Solar Noon in San José
Daily and year-round sun times for San José (9.9281°, -84.0907°) — America/Costa_Rica.
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Pick another date or fine-tune the locationReference times for 2026 — the 1st of each month, plus solstices, equinoxes and key dates
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Solar noon | Max sun | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day January 1 | 5:53 AM | 5:26 PM | 11:39 AM | 57.1° | 11h 33m |
| February February 1 | 5:58 AM | 5:41 PM | 11:49 AM | 62.9° | 11h 42m |
| March March 1 | 5:50 AM | 5:46 PM | 11:48 AM | 72.4° | 11h 56m |
| March equinox March 20 | 5:40 AM | 5:47 PM | 11:43 AM | 79.8° | 12h 6m |
| April April 1 | 5:33 AM | 5:46 PM | 11:40 AM | 84.5° | 12h 13m |
| May May 1 | 5:19 AM | 5:47 PM | 11:33 AM | 84.9° | 12h 29m |
| June June 1 | 5:14 AM | 5:54 PM | 11:34 AM | 77.9° | 12h 40m |
| June solstice June 20 | 5:16 AM | 5:58 PM | 11:37 AM | 76.5° | 12h 42m |
| July July 1 | 5:19 AM | 6:01 PM | 11:40 AM | 76.8° | 12h 42m |
| July 4 (Independence Day) July 4 | 5:20 AM | 6:01 PM | 11:40 AM | 77.0° | 12h 41m |
| August August 1 | 5:26 AM | 5:59 PM | 11:42 AM | 81.9° | 12h 33m |
| September September 1 | 5:27 AM | 5:45 PM | 11:36 AM | 88.4° | 12h 19m |
| September equinox September 22 | 5:25 AM | 5:32 PM | 11:29 AM | 80.5° | 12h 7m |
| October October 1 | 5:24 AM | 5:27 PM | 11:26 AM | 77.0° | 12h 2m |
| November November 1 | 5:26 AM | 5:13 PM | 11:19 AM | 65.7° | 11h 46m |
| December December 1 | 5:37 AM | 5:12 PM | 11:25 AM | 58.3° | 11h 35m |
| December solstice December 21 | 5:47 AM | 5:20 PM | 11:34 AM | 56.6° | 11h 33m |
In San José, the longest day is the June solstice (12h 42m of daylight) and the shortest is the December solstice (11h 33m).
Solar noon in San José is around 11:37 AM near the June solstice and 11:34 AM near the December solstice — rarely exactly 12:00, because the city sits away from the exact centre of its timezone, daylight saving time shifts the clock where observed, and the equation of time moves the Sun's transit by up to 16 minutes.
Sunrise and sunset across 2026, in local standard time
The shaded band is daylight; the upper edge is sunrise and the lower edge is sunset. Plotted in standard time, so the daylight-saving shift is shown as dates above rather than a jump in the curve.
These sunrise, sunset, and solar-noon times for San José are computed with the NOAA solar position algorithm from the city's latitude (9.9281°) and longitude (-84.0907°), then converted to local time in the America/Costa_Rica timezone. Today's figures update automatically in your browser; the year-round table is a fixed reference so the page stays fast and consistent.
Solar noon is the moment the Sun crosses San José's meridian and reaches its highest point in the sky — not necessarily 12:00 on the clock. The offset comes from the city's position within its timezone plus the equation of time, a correction for Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt that can move solar noon up to 16 minutes either side of clock noon. The max sun altitude is how high the Sun climbs at that moment.
The direction of sunrise and sunset swings north and south through the year: near the June solstice the Sun rises in the north-east and sets in the north-west; near the December solstice it rises and sets well to the south. Day length changes because of Earth's 23.5° axial tilt — around the June solstice the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun for its longest days; around the December solstice it tilts away for its shortest. At the equinoxes day and night are close to equal everywhere.
What time is solar noon in San José?
Solar noon in San José — when the Sun is at its highest point — is around 11:37 AM local time near the June solstice and around 11:34 AM near the December solstice. It is rarely exactly 12:00 because of San José's longitude within its timezone, daylight saving time where observed, and the equation of time, which shifts the Sun's transit by up to 16 minutes over the year.
How high does the Sun get in San José?
The Sun's maximum altitude (its height above the horizon at solar noon) in San José reaches about 76.5° at the June solstice and only about 56.6° at the December solstice. The higher the Sun climbs, the more intense the daylight and the shorter the shadows.
When is the longest day of the year in San José?
San José's longest day is the June solstice (2026-06-20), with about 12h 42m of daylight — sunrise 5:16 AM and sunset 5:58 PM.
When is the shortest day of the year in San José?
The shortest day is the December solstice (2026-12-21), with roughly 11h 33m of daylight — sunrise 5:47 AM and sunset 5:20 PM.