Site & performance · Brazil
Sun path diagram for Rio de Janeiro
Solstice and equinox sun paths, sunrise, sunset and day length for Rio de Janeiro, computed for 2026 in local clock time.
The generator preloads Rio de Janeiro, works out the UTC offset for any date from its time zone, and lets you change the projection, add obstructions and export SVG, PNG or CSV. All calculations run in your browser.
Sunrise, sunset and day length in Rio de Janeiro
Local clock times for 2026 from the SunCalc engine, using the standard −0.833° sunrise and sunset horizon. Solar noon is when the sun crosses the local meridian; noon altitude is its height above the horizon at that moment.
| Date | Clock | Sunrise | Sunset | Solar noon | Day length | Noon altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 equinox | UTC−3 | 05:57 | 18:05 | 12:01 | 12 h 08 min | 67.3° |
| June 21 solstice | UTC−3 | 06:33 | 17:17 | 11:55 | 10 h 44 min | 43.7° |
| September 22 equinox | UTC−3 | 05:43 | 17:49 | 11:46 | 12 h 06 min | 66.8° |
| December 21 solstice | UTC−3 | 05:05 | 18:38 | 11:51 | 13 h 32 min | 89.4° |
Where Rio de Janeiro sits and how its clock works
Rio de Janeiro lies at 22.91° south, 43.17° west, in the southern hemisphere's tropical belt. Its clocks follow the America/Sao_Paulo time zone, UTC−3 all year, so no daylight-saving shift applies to the times on this page.
Sun angles through the year in Rio de Janeiro
Because Rio de Janeiro lies inside the tropics, the noon sun passes to the north of overhead on June 21, at 43.7° above the horizon, and to the south on December 21, at 89.4°. In between it crosses the zenith twice a year, so at the March and September equinoxes it stands at about 67°, which is 90° minus the latitude. The noon sun is never lower than 43.7°, and both the north and south sides of a building take direct noon sun for part of the year.
Sunrise swings a long way along the horizon during the year. On December 21 the sun rises at azimuth 115.9° (south-east) and sets at 243.9° (south-west); on June 21 it rises at 64.7° and sets at 295.1°. At the equinoxes it rises close to due east and sets close to due west. That 51° swing means east- and west-facing windows see low sun every morning and evening of the year, drifting between north-east and south-east at sunrise.
Day length, sunrise and sunset
Daylight runs from 13 h 32 min on December 21 to 10 h 44 min on June 21, a difference of 2 h 49 min. Sunrise moves between 05:05 and 06:33 across the year and sunset between 17:17 and 18:38 on the local clock. Solar noon falls at 11:51 on December 21 and 11:55 on June 21, close to the middle of the day.
What this means for buildings in Rio de Janeiro
For design, the high sun means roofs and other horizontal surfaces receive the strongest radiation, and shading needs to work on both the north and south facades depending on the season. Overhangs are effective because the noon sun is steep, never below 43.7° at either solstice, but the low east and west sun in the morning and evening is the main source of glare and heat. Keeping the long facades facing north and south, and the short ones east and west, limits that exposure.
Reading the diagram
The diagram uses the equidistant projection: the centre is the zenith, the outer ring is the horizon and the rings between mark 30° and 60° altitude, with north at the top and azimuth running clockwise. The dark curve is the September equinox, amber is June 21 and grey is December 21; the band between the amber and grey curves is the only part of the sky the sun ever occupies over Rio de Janeiro, and dots mark every second clock hour. Open the generator to switch to a stereographic projection, choose any date, add up to eight obstructions and export the diagram as SVG or PNG, or the hourly data as CSV.