Sunset and sunrise times in Chicago, United States
In Chicago, United States the sun sets today, Friday 25 September, at 6:42 pm and rises at 6:41 am. Daylight lasts 12h 1m; evening golden hour runs from 6:05 pm to 6:59 pm.
Today, Friday 25 September
- First light
- 6:13 am
- Sunrise
- 6:41 am
- Solar noon
- 12:42 pm
- Sunset
- 6:42 pm
- Last light
- 7:10 pm
- Day length
- 12h 1m
18h 40m until sunset
Light and sky
- Evening golden hour
- 6:05 pm – 6:59 pm
- Blue hour
- 6:59 pm – 7:10 pm
- Max sun altitude
- 47.1°
- Moon
- 🌔 Waxing gibbous
- Moonrise / moonset
- 6:02 pm / 5:26 am
The sun sets at 269° — face west
Sunset conditions tonight
Rated by our sunset quality score, whose formula is published in full. Forecast by Open-Meteo.
Tomorrow, Saturday 26 September
Sunrise 6:42 am Sunset 6:40 pm Golden hour 6:04 pm – 6:57 pm Day length 11h 58m vs today 3 minutes shorterWhere Chicago is
- Coordinates
- 41.8500° N, 87.6500° W
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
- Current offset
- UTC-05:00
- Elevation
- 179 m
- Population
- 2,664,452
Sunrise and sunset in Chicago, September 2026
| Date | First light | Sunrise | Solar noon | Sunset | Last light | Day length | Change | Golden hour | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:47 am | 6:16 am | 12:50 pm | 7:23 pm | 7:52 pm | 13h 7m | −2:41 | 6:46 pm–7:41 pm | 🌖 79% |
| Wed 2 | 5:48 am | 6:17 am | 12:50 pm | 7:22 pm | 7:50 pm | 13h 4m | −2:42 | 6:45 pm–7:39 pm | 🌖 69% |
| Thu 3 | 5:49 am | 6:18 am | 12:49 pm | 7:20 pm | 7:49 pm | 13h 2m | −2:42 | 6:43 pm–7:37 pm | 🌖 57% |
| Fri 4 | 5:51 am | 6:19 am | 12:49 pm | 7:18 pm | 7:47 pm | 12h 59m | −2:43 | 6:41 pm–7:36 pm | 🌗 45% |
| Sat 5 | 5:52 am | 6:20 am | 12:49 pm | 7:17 pm | 7:45 pm | 12h 56m | −2:43 | 6:40 pm–7:34 pm | 🌘 34% |
| Sun 6 | 5:53 am | 6:21 am | 12:48 pm | 7:15 pm | 7:43 pm | 12h 53m | −2:44 | 6:38 pm–7:32 pm | 🌘 23% |
| Mon 7 | 5:54 am | 6:22 am | 12:48 pm | 7:13 pm | 7:42 pm | 12h 51m | −2:44 | 6:36 pm–7:31 pm | 🌘 14% |
| Tue 8 | 5:55 am | 6:23 am | 12:48 pm | 7:12 pm | 7:40 pm | 12h 48m | −2:44 | 6:35 pm–7:29 pm | 🌘 7% |
| Wed 9 | 5:56 am | 6:24 am | 12:47 pm | 7:10 pm | 7:38 pm | 12h 45m | −2:45 | 6:33 pm–7:27 pm | 🌘 2% |
| Thu 10 | 5:57 am | 6:25 am | 12:47 pm | 7:08 pm | 7:36 pm | 12h 43m | −2:45 | 6:31 pm–7:25 pm | 🌑 0% |
| Fri 11 | 5:58 am | 6:26 am | 12:47 pm | 7:06 pm | 7:34 pm | 12h 40m | −2:45 | 6:30 pm–7:24 pm | 🌒 1% |
| Sat 12 | 5:59 am | 6:27 am | 12:46 pm | 7:05 pm | 7:33 pm | 12h 37m | −2:46 | 6:28 pm–7:22 pm | 🌒 3% |
| Sun 13 | 6:00 am | 6:28 am | 12:46 pm | 7:03 pm | 7:31 pm | 12h 34m | −2:46 | 6:26 pm–7:20 pm | 🌒 8% |
| Mon 14 | 6:01 am | 6:29 am | 12:46 pm | 7:01 pm | 7:29 pm | 12h 31m | −2:46 | 6:25 pm–7:18 pm | 🌒 14% |
| Tue 15 | 6:02 am | 6:30 am | 12:45 pm | 6:59 pm | 7:27 pm | 12h 29m | −2:46 | 6:23 pm–7:17 pm | 🌒 22% |
| Wed 16 | 6:03 am | 6:31 am | 12:45 pm | 6:58 pm | 7:26 pm | 12h 26m | −2:47 | 6:21 pm–7:15 pm | 🌒 30% |
| Thu 17 | 6:04 am | 6:32 am | 12:45 pm | 6:56 pm | 7:24 pm | 12h 23m | −2:47 | 6:19 pm–7:13 pm | 🌒 39% |
| Fri 18 | 6:06 am | 6:33 am | 12:44 pm | 6:54 pm | 7:22 pm | 12h 20m | −2:47 | 6:18 pm–7:11 pm | 🌓 49% |
| Sat 19 | 6:07 am | 6:34 am | 12:44 pm | 6:52 pm | 7:20 pm | 12h 18m | −2:47 | 6:16 pm–7:10 pm | 🌔 58% |
| Sun 20 | 6:08 am | 6:35 am | 12:43 pm | 6:51 pm | 7:19 pm | 12h 15m | −2:47 | 6:14 pm–7:08 pm | 🌔 67% |
| Mon 21 | 6:09 am | 6:37 am | 12:43 pm | 6:49 pm | 7:17 pm | 12h 12m | −2:47 | 6:12 pm–7:06 pm | 🌔 76% |
| Tue 22 | 6:10 am | 6:38 am | 12:43 pm | 6:47 pm | 7:15 pm | 12h 9m | −2:47 | 6:11 pm–7:04 pm | 🌔 83% |
| Wed 23 | 6:11 am | 6:39 am | 12:42 pm | 6:46 pm | 7:13 pm | 12h 6m | −2:47 | 6:09 pm–7:03 pm | 🌔 90% |
| Thu 24 | 6:12 am | 6:40 am | 12:42 pm | 6:44 pm | 7:12 pm | 12h 4m | −2:47 | 6:07 pm–7:01 pm | 🌔 95% |
| Fri 25 | 6:13 am | 6:41 am | 12:42 pm | 6:42 pm | 7:10 pm | 12h 1m | −2:47 | 6:05 pm–6:59 pm | 🌔 99% |
| Sat 26 | 6:14 am | 6:42 am | 12:41 pm | 6:40 pm | 7:08 pm | 11h 58m | −2:47 | 6:04 pm–6:57 pm | 🌕 100% |
| Sun 27 | 6:15 am | 6:43 am | 12:41 pm | 6:39 pm | 7:06 pm | 11h 55m | −2:47 | 6:02 pm–6:56 pm | 🌖 99% |
| Mon 28 | 6:16 am | 6:44 am | 12:41 pm | 6:37 pm | 7:05 pm | 11h 52m | −2:47 | 6:00 pm–6:54 pm | 🌖 96% |
| Tue 29 | 6:17 am | 6:45 am | 12:40 pm | 6:35 pm | 7:03 pm | 11h 50m | −2:47 | 5:58 pm–6:52 pm | 🌖 90% |
| Wed 30 | 6:18 am | 6:46 am | 12:40 pm | 6:33 pm | 7:01 pm | 11h 47m | −2:47 | 5:56 pm–6:50 pm | 🌖 82% |
More columns for September 2026: nautical and astronomical twilight, night length, sun altitude, sunset direction
| Date | Astro. dawn | Naut. dawn | Sunrise | Sunset | Naut. dusk | Astro. dusk | Night | Max altitude | Sunset direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 4:37 am | 5:13 am | 6:16 am | 7:23 pm | 8:26 pm | 9:02 pm | 10h 53m | 56.2° | 282° WNW |
| Wed 2 | 4:38 am | 5:14 am | 6:17 am | 7:22 pm | 8:24 pm | 9:00 pm | 10h 56m | 55.9° | 281° W |
| Thu 3 | 4:40 am | 5:15 am | 6:18 am | 7:20 pm | 8:22 pm | 8:58 pm | 10h 58m | 55.5° | 281° W |
| Fri 4 | 4:41 am | 5:17 am | 6:19 am | 7:18 pm | 8:21 pm | 8:56 pm | 11h 1m | 55.1° | 280° W |
| Sat 5 | 4:42 am | 5:18 am | 6:20 am | 7:17 pm | 8:19 pm | 8:54 pm | 11h 4m | 54.8° | 280° W |
| Sun 6 | 4:44 am | 5:19 am | 6:21 am | 7:15 pm | 8:17 pm | 8:52 pm | 11h 7m | 54.4° | 279° W |
| Mon 7 | 4:45 am | 5:20 am | 6:22 am | 7:13 pm | 8:15 pm | 8:50 pm | 11h 9m | 54.0° | 279° W |
| Tue 8 | 4:46 am | 5:21 am | 6:23 am | 7:12 pm | 8:13 pm | 8:48 pm | 11h 12m | 53.6° | 278° W |
| Wed 9 | 4:48 am | 5:22 am | 6:24 am | 7:10 pm | 8:11 pm | 8:46 pm | 11h 15m | 53.3° | 277° W |
| Thu 10 | 4:49 am | 5:24 am | 6:25 am | 7:08 pm | 8:10 pm | 8:44 pm | 11h 18m | 52.9° | 277° W |
| Fri 11 | 4:50 am | 5:25 am | 6:26 am | 7:06 pm | 8:08 pm | 8:42 pm | 11h 20m | 52.5° | 276° W |
| Sat 12 | 4:52 am | 5:26 am | 6:27 am | 7:05 pm | 8:06 pm | 8:40 pm | 11h 23m | 52.1° | 276° W |
| Sun 13 | 4:53 am | 5:27 am | 6:28 am | 7:03 pm | 8:04 pm | 8:38 pm | 11h 26m | 51.7° | 275° W |
| Mon 14 | 4:54 am | 5:28 am | 6:29 am | 7:01 pm | 8:02 pm | 8:36 pm | 11h 29m | 51.4° | 275° W |
| Tue 15 | 4:55 am | 5:29 am | 6:30 am | 6:59 pm | 8:00 pm | 8:34 pm | 11h 31m | 51.0° | 274° W |
| Wed 16 | 4:57 am | 5:30 am | 6:31 am | 6:58 pm | 7:58 pm | 8:32 pm | 11h 34m | 50.6° | 274° W |
| Thu 17 | 4:58 am | 5:32 am | 6:32 am | 6:56 pm | 7:57 pm | 8:30 pm | 11h 37m | 50.2° | 273° W |
| Fri 18 | 4:59 am | 5:33 am | 6:33 am | 6:54 pm | 7:55 pm | 8:28 pm | 11h 40m | 49.8° | 273° W |
| Sat 19 | 5:00 am | 5:34 am | 6:34 am | 6:52 pm | 7:53 pm | 8:26 pm | 11h 42m | 49.4° | 272° W |
| Sun 20 | 5:01 am | 5:35 am | 6:35 am | 6:51 pm | 7:51 pm | 8:25 pm | 11h 45m | 49.0° | 272° W |
| Mon 21 | 5:03 am | 5:36 am | 6:37 am | 6:49 pm | 7:49 pm | 8:23 pm | 11h 48m | 48.6° | 271° W |
| Tue 22 | 5:04 am | 5:37 am | 6:38 am | 6:47 pm | 7:48 pm | 8:21 pm | 11h 51m | 48.3° | 271° W |
| Wed 23 | 5:05 am | 5:38 am | 6:39 am | 6:46 pm | 7:46 pm | 8:19 pm | 11h 54m | 47.9° | 270° W |
| Thu 24 | 5:06 am | 5:39 am | 6:40 am | 6:44 pm | 7:44 pm | 8:17 pm | 11h 56m | 47.5° | 270° W |
| Fri 25 | 5:07 am | 5:40 am | 6:41 am | 6:42 pm | 7:42 pm | 8:15 pm | 11h 59m | 47.1° | 269° W |
| Sat 26 | 5:09 am | 5:42 am | 6:42 am | 6:40 pm | 7:40 pm | 8:13 pm | 12h 2m | 46.7° | 269° W |
| Sun 27 | 5:10 am | 5:43 am | 6:43 am | 6:39 pm | 7:39 pm | 8:11 pm | 12h 5m | 46.3° | 268° W |
| Mon 28 | 5:11 am | 5:44 am | 6:44 am | 6:37 pm | 7:37 pm | 8:10 pm | 12h 8m | 45.9° | 268° W |
| Tue 29 | 5:12 am | 5:45 am | 6:45 am | 6:35 pm | 7:35 pm | 8:08 pm | 12h 10m | 45.5° | 267° W |
| Wed 30 | 5:13 am | 5:46 am | 6:46 am | 6:33 pm | 7:33 pm | 8:06 pm | 12h 13m | 45.1° | 267° W |
October 2026
| Date | First light | Sunrise | Solar noon | Sunset | Last light | Day length | Change | Golden hour | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 6:19 am | 6:47 am | 12:40 pm | 6:32 pm | 6:59 pm | 11h 44m | −2:47 | 5:55 pm–6:49 pm | 🌖 72% |
| Fri 2 | 6:20 am | 6:48 am | 12:39 pm | 6:30 pm | 6:58 pm | 11h 41m | −2:47 | 5:53 pm–6:47 pm | 🌖 61% |
| Sat 3 | 6:21 am | 6:49 am | 12:39 pm | 6:28 pm | 6:56 pm | 11h 39m | −2:47 | 5:51 pm–6:45 pm | 🌗 49% |
| Sun 4 | 6:22 am | 6:50 am | 12:39 pm | 6:27 pm | 6:54 pm | 11h 36m | −2:47 | 5:49 pm–6:44 pm | 🌘 37% |
| Mon 5 | 6:24 am | 6:51 am | 12:38 pm | 6:25 pm | 6:53 pm | 11h 33m | −2:46 | 5:48 pm–6:42 pm | 🌘 26% |
| Tue 6 | 6:25 am | 6:52 am | 12:38 pm | 6:23 pm | 6:51 pm | 11h 30m | −2:46 | 5:46 pm–6:40 pm | 🌘 17% |
| Wed 7 | 6:26 am | 6:54 am | 12:38 pm | 6:22 pm | 6:49 pm | 11h 27m | −2:46 | 5:44 pm–6:39 pm | 🌘 9% |
| Thu 8 | 6:27 am | 6:55 am | 12:38 pm | 6:20 pm | 6:48 pm | 11h 25m | −2:46 | 5:43 pm–6:37 pm | 🌘 4% |
| Fri 9 | 6:28 am | 6:56 am | 12:37 pm | 6:18 pm | 6:46 pm | 11h 22m | −2:45 | 5:41 pm–6:35 pm | 🌘 1% |
| Sat 10 | 6:29 am | 6:57 am | 12:37 pm | 6:17 pm | 6:44 pm | 11h 19m | −2:45 | 5:39 pm–6:34 pm | 🌑 0% |
| Sun 11 | 6:30 am | 6:58 am | 12:37 pm | 6:15 pm | 6:43 pm | 11h 16m | −2:45 | 5:37 pm–6:32 pm | 🌒 2% |
| Mon 12 | 6:31 am | 6:59 am | 12:37 pm | 6:13 pm | 6:41 pm | 11h 14m | −2:44 | 5:36 pm–6:30 pm | 🌒 5% |
| Tue 13 | 6:32 am | 7:00 am | 12:36 pm | 6:12 pm | 6:40 pm | 11h 11m | −2:44 | 5:34 pm–6:29 pm | 🌒 10% |
| Wed 14 | 6:33 am | 7:01 am | 12:36 pm | 6:10 pm | 6:38 pm | 11h 8m | −2:44 | 5:32 pm–6:27 pm | 🌒 16% |
| Thu 15 | 6:34 am | 7:02 am | 12:36 pm | 6:09 pm | 6:37 pm | 11h 6m | −2:43 | 5:31 pm–6:26 pm | 🌒 24% |
| Fri 16 | 6:35 am | 7:04 am | 12:36 pm | 6:07 pm | 6:35 pm | 11h 3m | −2:43 | 5:29 pm–6:24 pm | 🌒 32% |
| Sat 17 | 6:37 am | 7:05 am | 12:35 pm | 6:05 pm | 6:34 pm | 11h 0m | −2:42 | 5:27 pm–6:23 pm | 🌒 41% |
| Sun 18 | 6:38 am | 7:06 am | 12:35 pm | 6:04 pm | 6:32 pm | 10h 57m | −2:42 | 5:26 pm–6:21 pm | 🌓 51% |
| Mon 19 | 6:39 am | 7:07 am | 12:35 pm | 6:02 pm | 6:31 pm | 10h 55m | −2:41 | 5:24 pm–6:20 pm | 🌔 60% |
| Tue 20 | 6:40 am | 7:08 am | 12:35 pm | 6:01 pm | 6:29 pm | 10h 52m | −2:40 | 5:23 pm–6:18 pm | 🌔 69% |
| Wed 21 | 6:41 am | 7:09 am | 12:35 pm | 5:59 pm | 6:28 pm | 10h 49m | −2:40 | 5:21 pm–6:17 pm | 🌔 78% |
| Thu 22 | 6:42 am | 7:11 am | 12:35 pm | 5:58 pm | 6:26 pm | 10h 47m | −2:39 | 5:19 pm–6:15 pm | 🌔 86% |
| Fri 23 | 6:43 am | 7:12 am | 12:34 pm | 5:56 pm | 6:25 pm | 10h 44m | −2:38 | 5:18 pm–6:14 pm | 🌔 92% |
| Sat 24 | 6:44 am | 7:13 am | 12:34 pm | 5:55 pm | 6:23 pm | 10h 42m | −2:37 | 5:16 pm–6:12 pm | 🌔 97% |
| Sun 25 | 6:46 am | 7:14 am | 12:34 pm | 5:54 pm | 6:22 pm | 10h 39m | −2:37 | 5:15 pm–6:11 pm | 🌔 99% |
| Mon 26 | 6:47 am | 7:15 am | 12:34 pm | 5:52 pm | 6:21 pm | 10h 36m | −2:36 | 5:13 pm–6:10 pm | 🌕 100% |
| Tue 27 | 6:48 am | 7:17 am | 12:34 pm | 5:51 pm | 6:19 pm | 10h 34m | −2:35 | 5:12 pm–6:08 pm | 🌖 97% |
| Wed 28 | 6:49 am | 7:18 am | 12:34 pm | 5:49 pm | 6:18 pm | 10h 31m | −2:34 | 5:10 pm–6:07 pm | 🌖 92% |
| Thu 29 | 6:50 am | 7:19 am | 12:34 pm | 5:48 pm | 6:17 pm | 10h 29m | −2:33 | 5:09 pm–6:06 pm | 🌖 85% |
| Fri 30 | 6:51 am | 7:20 am | 12:34 pm | 5:47 pm | 6:16 pm | 10h 26m | −2:32 | 5:07 pm–6:04 pm | 🌖 75% |
| Sat 31 | 6:52 am | 7:21 am | 12:34 pm | 5:45 pm | 6:14 pm | 10h 24m | −2:30 | 5:06 pm–6:03 pm | 🌖 65% |
Longest and shortest day in Chicago
The longest day falls on 21 June 2026, 3 months ago, with 15h 13m of daylight.
The shortest is 21 December 2026, in 3 months, with 9h 7m.
Between them the day length swings by 6h 5m.
Daylight through 2026
The earliest sunset of the year is at 4:19 pm on 8 December; the latest is 8:29 pm on 27 June. Those dates are not the solstices — the difference between clock time and solar time shifts them by a week or more.
Sunrise ranges from 5:15 am on 14 June to 6:23 am on 1 November.
Averaged across the year, a day here holds 12h 12m of daylight.
What makes sunsets in Chicago different
At 41.9°N the sun cuts through the twilight band at an angle, so darkness takes 28 minutes to arrive: 4 minutes longer than today's 24-minute median.
Photographers get 54 minutes of golden light this evening, roughly 1.4× the 40 minutes available at the equator on the same date.
Between the June and December solstices the length of the day swings by 6h 5m here — among the widest of the 358 cities tracked in United States.
Over a year the sunset point slides 65° along the horizon, from WSW at the December solstice to WNW in June. Today it is W.
Sunset drifts 104 seconds earlier each day this month — 50 minutes from the first of September to the last.
Expect a one-off hour-long step in these times on 1 November 2026: sunset goes from 5:45 pm the evening before to 4:44 pm that evening.
Planning a sunset photo in Chicago
Arrive by 5:50 pm. Golden hour opens at 6:05 pm and the sun is down by 6:42 pm, so that leaves about fifteen minutes to find a position before the light is worth using.
Face west — the sun goes down at 269° on the compass today. That bearing moves through the year, so a composition that works this week may not in three months.
Do not pack up at sunset. Blue hour follows from 6:59 pm and runs to 7:10 pm, the end of civil twilight and 27m after the sun disappears. That is the window where city lights balance against the sky.
Common questions
What time is sunset in Chicago today?
The sun sets in Chicago at 6:42 pm today, Friday 25 September 2026.
How long after sunset does it get dark in Chicago?
It takes 27m. Civil twilight ends at 7:10 pm today, which is the point most people would call dark.
When is golden hour in Chicago?
Evening golden hour runs 6:05 pm to 6:59 pm today, lasting 53m. Full golden hour times for Chicago covers the morning window and the coming week.