The sun, month by month
Sunrise and sunset in Edinburgh in May
On May 1 in Edinburgh the sun rises at 05:30 and sets at 20:49; on day 31 it rises at 04:36 and sets at 21:44. Over the month the day grows 109 minutes longer.
In Edinburgh (56.0° latitude), May 2026 has 31 days whose sun rises at 05:30 and sets at 20:49 on the 1st, and at 04:36 and 21:44 on the 31th. Mid-month the day lasts 16 h 16 min and the sun reaches 53° above the horizon. Vitamin D synthesis is possible between 11:00 and 17:00, which is when the UV index reaches at least 3: at the best moment of the day about 11 minutes are enough for a mid-range skin phototype with a quarter of the body exposed to make around 1000 IU.
Where does the sun rise and set in Edinburgh in May?
Mid-May in Edinburgh: the sun rises in the northeast — a bearing of 53°, measured from true north — and sets in the northwest, at 307°. That is 37° north of due east at sunrise, and the same 37° north of due west at sunset. From the 1st to the last day of the month both points shift 15° north.
Approximate bearings: they can be a couple of degrees out. They are measured from true north, not the north a phone compass points to.
Day by day
All times are local to Edinburgh. Dawn and dusk mark civil twilight.
| Day | Dawn | Sunrise | Sunset | Dusk | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04:46 | 05:30 | 20:49 | 21:34 | 15 h 19 min |
| 2 | 04:43 | 05:28 | 20:51 | 21:36 | 15 h 23 min |
| 3 | 04:41 | 05:26 | 20:53 | 21:38 | 15 h 28 min |
| 4 | 04:38 | 05:24 | 20:55 | 21:41 | 15 h 32 min |
| 5 | 04:36 | 05:21 | 20:57 | 21:43 | 15 h 36 min |
| 6 | 04:33 | 05:19 | 21:00 | 21:46 | 15 h 40 min |
| 7 | 04:31 | 05:17 | 21:02 | 21:48 | 15 h 45 min |
| 8 | 04:28 | 05:15 | 21:04 | 21:50 | 15 h 49 min |
| 9 | 04:26 | 05:13 | 21:06 | 21:53 | 15 h 53 min |
| 10 | 04:23 | 05:11 | 21:08 | 21:55 | 15 h 57 min |
| 11 | 04:21 | 05:09 | 21:09 | 21:57 | 16 h 01 min |
| 12 | 04:18 | 05:07 | 21:11 | 22:00 | 16 h 05 min |
| 13 | 04:16 | 05:05 | 21:13 | 22:02 | 16 h 09 min |
| 14 | 04:13 | 05:03 | 21:15 | 22:05 | 16 h 13 min |
| 15 | 04:11 | 05:01 | 21:17 | 22:07 | 16 h 16 min |
| 16 | 04:09 | 04:59 | 21:19 | 22:09 | 16 h 20 min |
| 17 | 04:07 | 04:57 | 21:21 | 22:12 | 16 h 24 min |
| 18 | 04:04 | 04:55 | 21:23 | 22:14 | 16 h 28 min |
| 19 | 04:02 | 04:54 | 21:25 | 22:16 | 16 h 31 min |
| 20 | 04:00 | 04:52 | 21:26 | 22:18 | 16 h 35 min |
| 21 | 03:58 | 04:50 | 21:28 | 22:21 | 16 h 38 min |
| 22 | 03:56 | 04:49 | 21:30 | 22:23 | 16 h 41 min |
| 23 | 03:54 | 04:47 | 21:32 | 22:25 | 16 h 45 min |
| 24 | 03:52 | 04:46 | 21:33 | 22:27 | 16 h 48 min |
| 25 | 03:50 | 04:44 | 21:35 | 22:29 | 16 h 51 min |
| 26 | 03:48 | 04:43 | 21:37 | 22:31 | 16 h 54 min |
| 27 | 03:46 | 04:41 | 21:38 | 22:33 | 16 h 57 min |
| 28 | 03:44 | 04:40 | 21:40 | 22:35 | 17 h 00 min |
| 29 | 03:43 | 04:39 | 21:41 | 22:37 | 17 h 03 min |
| 30 | 03:41 | 04:37 | 21:43 | 22:39 | 17 h 05 min |
| 31 | 03:39 | 04:36 | 21:44 | 22:41 | 17 h 08 min |
Approximate astronomical values: they can shift a minute or two from year to year.
What about vitamin D in May?
In May, the typical synthesis window in Edinburgh runs from 11:00 to 17:00: with medium skin and a t-shirt, ~11 min at the best moment is enough.
See the Edinburgh vitamin D guideCommon questions about the sun in Edinburgh in May
- Where does the sun set in Edinburgh in May?
- Mid-May in Edinburgh: the sun sets in the northwest, a bearing of 307° measured from true north, which is 37° north of due west. It rises in the northeast, at 53°. Over the month both points shift 15° north.
- How much daylight does Edinburgh gain in May?
- Over May the day gets 109 minutes longer in Edinburgh: on May 1 the sun rises at 05:30 and sets at 20:49, and on day 31 it rises at 04:36 and sets at 21:44.
- How many hours of daylight does Edinburgh get in May?
- In mid-May the day lasts 16 h 16 min in Edinburgh, from sunrise at 05:01 to sunset at 21:17. The table has the day length for each of the 31 days of the month.
- What time does it start to get light in Edinburgh in May?
- In mid-May the sky starts to get light at 04:11 in Edinburgh, when the sun is 6° below the horizon, and the sun itself does not rise until 05:01. The “Dawn” column of the table gives that time for every day of the month.
- What time does it get dark in Edinburgh in May?
- It's not the same time as sunset. In mid-May in Edinburgh the sun sets at 21:17, but there is still light: civil twilight does not end until 22:07, when the sun reaches 6° below the horizon and usable outdoor light runs out. The “Dusk” column of the table gives that time day by day.
- What time of day can you make vitamin D in Edinburgh in May?
- In mid-May, between 11:00 and 17:00: that is the stretch of the day when the UV index reaches 3 in Edinburgh, the minimum for the skin to make vitamin D. At the best moment of the day about 11 minutes are enough for a mid-range skin phototype with a quarter of the body exposed to make around 1000 IU.