Sun times for Chicago
Illinois, United States · 41.88°N 87.63°W — near the western edge of its time zone, so sunsets run late for the latitude.
- Latitude
- 41.8781°
- Longitude
- -87.6298°
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
Sunrise
06:12 AM
Sunset
07:30 PM
Solar noon
12:51 PM
Sun at 57.6° above horizon
Day length
13h 18m
−2m 39s vs yesterday
Photography light
- Blue hour (morning)
- 05:43 AM – 05:54 AM
- Golden hour (morning)
- 06:12 AM – 06:49 AM
- Golden hour (evening)
- 06:53 PM – 07:30 PM
- Blue hour (evening)
- 07:48 PM – 07:59 PM
Twilight
- Astronomical dawn
- 04:31 AM
- Nautical dawn
- 05:08 AM
- Civil dawn
- 05:43 AM
- Civil dusk
- 07:59 PM
- Nautical dusk
- 08:33 PM
- Astronomical dusk
- 09:10 PM
Sun at solar noon: 57.6° elevation, bearing 180° (S). Times assume a flat horizon at sea level.
The year in Chicago
- Longest day
- 15h 14m
- Shortest day
- 9h 08m
- Sun's highest point
- 71.6°
- Sun's lowest noon
- 24.7°
Chicago sunrise and sunset by month
Times for the 15th of each month, local time, adjusted for daylight saving where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:15 | 16:44 | 9h 29m |
| February | 06:46 | 17:23 | 10h 38m |
| March | 07:02 | 18:57 | 11h 55m |
| April | 06:10 | 19:31 | 13h 22m |
| May | 05:30 | 20:04 | 14h 34m |
| June | 05:14 | 20:27 | 15h 13m |
| July | 05:28 | 20:23 | 14h 55m |
| August | 05:58 | 19:50 | 13h 52m |
| September | 06:30 | 18:59 | 12h 29m |
| October | 07:02 | 18:08 | 11h 06m |
| November | 06:40 | 16:29 | 9h 49m |
| December | 07:11 | 16:20 | 9h 09m |
Solar potential in Chicago
Chicago receives 3.844 kWh/m² per day on a horizontal surface, averaged over 30 years. Tilting panels to 31° raises annual output by 11%.
A typical home system is 5–10 kW. Roughly 15 panels for 6 kW.
S (180°) — ideal for the northern hemisphere
Estimated annual production
7,275 kWh
1,212 kWh per kW installed · 606 kWh a month on average
Monthly production
Best month 838 kWh · worst month 328 kWh · 2.6× swing
- Optimal tilt
- 31°
- Summer tilt
- 7°
- Winter tilt
- 60°
- Gain vs flat
- +11%
Based on NASA POWER 30-year climate averages for Chicago and a 78% system performance ratio. Long-term expectation, not a guarantee for any single year. Shading, roof pitch and local rules are not modelled.
Chicago sun and solar questions
- How much does daylight change through the year in Chicago?
- Chicago sits at 41.9° north. Its longest day runs 15h 14m and its shortest 9h 08m — a swing of 6h 06m.
- What angle should solar panels be in Chicago?
- 31° from horizontal, facing south, maximises annual production. That is about 11% more than laying panels flat. If you want to favour winter output, 60° is better; for summer, 7°.
- How much power would solar panels produce in Chicago?
- About 1,212 kWh per year for every kW installed, at the optimal angle. A typical 6 kW home system would produce roughly 7,275 kWh a year. Jul is the strongest month and Dec the weakest.
- How high does the sun get in Chicago?
- At the summer solstice the sun reaches 71.6° above the horizon at solar noon. At the winter solstice it only reaches 24.7°. That difference is what drives both the seasons and the ideal panel angle.
Sun times assume a flat horizon at sea level. Solar figures are long-term climate averages and do not account for shading, roof pitch or local regulations. See the methodology.