How many daylight hours there are on any given day is determined almost entirely by two things: your latitude and the time of year. Everything else — the weather, your timezone, daylight saving time — affects what your clock says, but not the actual amount of sunlight. The sun follows the same path regardless.
Near the equator, daylight is remarkably stable: close to 12 hours every day of the year. Move toward the poles and the swings become increasingly dramatic — until, above the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, there are days with no darkness at all, and days with no daylight at all.
| Month | Tromsø, Norway (70°N) | London, UK (51°N) | Singapore (1°N) | Sydney, Australia (34°S) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 h 55 min | 8 h 22 min | 12 h 05 min | 14 h 22 min |
| February | 5 h 25 min | 9 h 50 min | 12 h 10 min | 13 h 20 min |
| March | 10 h 02 min | 11 h 35 min | 12 h 12 min | 12 h 05 min |
| April | 15 h 10 min | 13 h 25 min | 12 h 13 min | 10 h 54 min |
| May | 20 h 10 min | 15 h 18 min | 12 h 14 min | 9 h 57 min |
| June | 24 h 00 min * | 16 h 38 min | 12 h 12 min | 9 h 53 min |
| July | 24 h 00 min * | 16 h 25 min | 12 h 11 min | 10 h 07 min |
| August | 18 h 30 min | 14 h 51 min | 12 h 13 min | 11 h 08 min |
| September | 13 h 15 min | 12 h 42 min | 12 h 12 min | 12 h 12 min |
| October | 8 h 05 min | 10 h 50 min | 12 h 09 min | 13 h 18 min |
| November | 3 h 05 min | 9 h 05 min | 12 h 06 min | 14 h 15 min |
| December | 0 h 00 min ** | 7 h 55 min | 12 h 03 min | 14 h 25 min |
* Midnight sun — the sun does not set. ** Polar night — the sun does not rise. Values are approximate mid-month averages.
Tromsø (70°N) shows the most extreme variation: from complete polar darkness in December to unbroken midnight sun in June and July. The annual swing is roughly 22 hours — from 0 to 24. This is life close to the Arctic Circle, where seasons are defined by light as much as by temperature.
London (51°N) has a more moderate but still significant swing of about 8 hours 45 minutes between its shortest day (7h 53m) and its longest (16h 38m). For most of Western and Central Europe, this pattern feels familiar.
Singapore (1°N) barely moves — a maximum swing of about 11 minutes across the year. Near the equator, the sun rises and sets at almost exactly the same time every day. The small variation that exists is due to the equinoxes and solstices still tilting the sun's path by a fraction.
Sydney (34°S) has a similar swing to London, but the seasons are reversed: long days in December, short days in June. The Southern Hemisphere follows the same physics but out of phase by six months.
Earth's axis is tilted at 23.5° relative to its orbital plane. As Earth orbits the sun over the course of a year, this tilt causes each hemisphere to alternately lean toward and then away from the sun. When your hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, the sun rises earlier, sets later, and climbs higher in the sky — giving you more hours of daylight and more intense sunlight. When tilted away, the opposite occurs.
The equator always sits roughly perpendicular to the sun's rays, which is why equatorial regions have nearly constant day length. The poles are where the tilt has its most extreme effect — pointing directly toward the sun in summer and directly away in winter.
Use the tool on the homepage to get the exact number of daylight hours for your specific location, today and on any date you choose.