Sun times for Denver
Colorado, United States · 39.74°N 104.99°W — high altitude means thinner air and stronger sunlight than its latitude suggests.
- Latitude
- 39.7392°
- Longitude
- -104.9903°
- Time zone
- America/Denver
Sunrise
06:24 AM
Sunset
07:37 PM
Solar noon
01:01 PM
Sun at 59.8° above horizon
Day length
13h 13m
−2m 27s vs yesterday
Photography light
- Blue hour (morning)
- 05:56 AM – 06:07 AM
- Golden hour (morning)
- 06:24 AM – 07:00 AM
- Golden hour (evening)
- 07:01 PM – 07:37 PM
- Blue hour (evening)
- 07:54 PM – 08:05 PM
Twilight
- Astronomical dawn
- 04:48 AM
- Nautical dawn
- 05:23 AM
- Civil dawn
- 05:56 AM
- Civil dusk
- 08:05 PM
- Nautical dusk
- 08:38 PM
- Astronomical dusk
- 09:13 PM
Sun at solar noon: 59.8° elevation, bearing 180° (S). Times assume a flat horizon at sea level.
The year in Denver
- Longest day
- 14h 59m
- Shortest day
- 9h 21m
- Sun's highest point
- 73.7°
- Sun's lowest noon
- 26.8°
Denver 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 | 07:19 | 17:00 | 9h 41m |
| February | 06:52 | 17:36 | 10h 44m |
| March | 07:11 | 19:07 | 11h 56m |
| April | 06:22 | 19:38 | 13h 16m |
| May | 05:45 | 20:07 | 14h 23m |
| June | 05:31 | 20:29 | 14h 58m |
| July | 05:44 | 20:26 | 14h 42m |
| August | 06:12 | 19:55 | 13h 44m |
| September | 06:41 | 19:08 | 12h 27m |
| October | 07:10 | 18:20 | 11h 10m |
| November | 06:44 | 16:44 | 9h 59m |
| December | 07:14 | 16:36 | 9h 22m |
Solar potential in Denver
Denver receives 4.851 kWh/m² per day on a horizontal surface, averaged over 30 years. Tilting panels to 34° raises annual output by 14%.
A typical home system is 5–10 kW. Roughly 15 panels for 6 kW.
S (180°) — ideal for the northern hemisphere
Estimated annual production
9,461 kWh
1,577 kWh per kW installed · 788 kWh a month on average
Monthly production
Best month 923 kWh · worst month 584 kWh · 1.6× swing
- Optimal tilt
- 34°
- Summer tilt
- 6°
- Winter tilt
- 61°
- Gain vs flat
- +14%
Based on NASA POWER 30-year climate averages for Denver 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.
Denver sun and solar questions
- How much does daylight change through the year in Denver?
- Denver sits at 39.7° north. Its longest day runs 14h 59m and its shortest 9h 21m — a swing of 5h 38m.
- What angle should solar panels be in Denver?
- 34° from horizontal, facing south, maximises annual production. That is about 14% more than laying panels flat. If you want to favour winter output, 61° is better; for summer, 6°.
- How much power would solar panels produce in Denver?
- About 1,577 kWh per year for every kW installed, at the optimal angle. A typical 6 kW home system would produce roughly 9,461 kWh a year. Jun is the strongest month and Dec the weakest.
- How high does the sun get in Denver?
- At the summer solstice the sun reaches 73.7° above the horizon at solar noon. At the winter solstice it only reaches 26.8°. 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.