The sun, month by month
Sunrise and sunset in New York in May
On May 1 in New York the sun rises at 05:56 and sets at 19:51; on day 31 it rises at 05:28 and sets at 20:20. Over the month the day grows 57 minutes longer.
Where does the sun rise and set in New York in May?
Mid-May in New York: the sun rises in the northeast — a bearing of 64°, measured from true north — and sets in the northwest, at 296°. That is 26° north of due east at sunrise, and the same 26° north of due west at sunset. From the 1st to the last day of the month both points shift 10° 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 New York. Dawn and dusk mark civil twilight.
| Day | Dawn | Sunrise | Sunset | Dusk | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05:26 | 05:56 | 19:51 | 20:20 | 13 h 55 min |
| 2 | 05:24 | 05:54 | 19:52 | 20:22 | 13 h 58 min |
| 3 | 05:23 | 05:53 | 19:53 | 20:23 | 14 h 00 min |
| 4 | 05:22 | 05:52 | 19:54 | 20:24 | 14 h 02 min |
| 5 | 05:20 | 05:50 | 19:55 | 20:25 | 14 h 05 min |
| 6 | 05:19 | 05:49 | 19:56 | 20:26 | 14 h 07 min |
| 7 | 05:18 | 05:48 | 19:57 | 20:27 | 14 h 09 min |
| 8 | 05:16 | 05:47 | 19:58 | 20:28 | 14 h 11 min |
| 9 | 05:15 | 05:46 | 19:59 | 20:30 | 14 h 13 min |
| 10 | 05:14 | 05:45 | 20:00 | 20:31 | 14 h 16 min |
| 11 | 05:13 | 05:43 | 20:01 | 20:32 | 14 h 18 min |
| 12 | 05:12 | 05:42 | 20:02 | 20:33 | 14 h 20 min |
| 13 | 05:11 | 05:41 | 20:03 | 20:34 | 14 h 22 min |
| 14 | 05:09 | 05:40 | 20:04 | 20:35 | 14 h 24 min |
| 15 | 05:08 | 05:39 | 20:05 | 20:36 | 14 h 26 min |
| 16 | 05:07 | 05:38 | 20:06 | 20:37 | 14 h 28 min |
| 17 | 05:06 | 05:37 | 20:07 | 20:38 | 14 h 30 min |
| 18 | 05:05 | 05:37 | 20:08 | 20:39 | 14 h 32 min |
| 19 | 05:04 | 05:36 | 20:09 | 20:41 | 14 h 33 min |
| 20 | 05:03 | 05:35 | 20:10 | 20:42 | 14 h 35 min |
| 21 | 05:02 | 05:34 | 20:11 | 20:43 | 14 h 37 min |
| 22 | 05:01 | 05:33 | 20:12 | 20:44 | 14 h 39 min |
| 23 | 05:01 | 05:32 | 20:13 | 20:45 | 14 h 40 min |
| 24 | 05:00 | 05:32 | 20:14 | 20:46 | 14 h 42 min |
| 25 | 04:59 | 05:31 | 20:15 | 20:47 | 14 h 44 min |
| 26 | 04:58 | 05:30 | 20:15 | 20:48 | 14 h 45 min |
| 27 | 04:58 | 05:30 | 20:16 | 20:48 | 14 h 47 min |
| 28 | 04:57 | 05:29 | 20:17 | 20:49 | 14 h 48 min |
| 29 | 04:56 | 05:29 | 20:18 | 20:50 | 14 h 49 min |
| 30 | 04:56 | 05:28 | 20:19 | 20:51 | 14 h 51 min |
| 31 | 04:55 | 05:28 | 20:20 | 20:52 | 14 h 52 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 New York runs from 10:00 to 17:00: with medium skin and a t-shirt, ~7 min at the best moment is enough.
See the New York vitamin D guideCommon questions about the sun in New York in May
- Where does the sun set in New York in May?
- Mid-May in New York: the sun sets in the northwest, a bearing of 296° measured from true north, which is 26° north of due west. It rises in the northeast, at 64°. Over the month both points shift 10° north.
- How much daylight does New York gain in May?
- Over May the day gets 57 minutes longer in New York: on May 1 the sun rises at 05:56 and sets at 19:51, and on day 31 it rises at 05:28 and sets at 20:20.
- How many hours of daylight does New York get in May?
- In mid-May the day lasts 14 h 26 min in New York, from sunrise at 05:39 to sunset at 20:05. The table has the day length for each of the 31 days of the month.
- What time does it start to get light in New York in May?
- In mid-May the sky starts to get light at 05:08 in New York, when the sun is 6° below the horizon, and the sun itself does not rise until 05:39. The “Dawn” column of the table gives that time for every day of the month.
- What time does it get dark in New York in May?
- It's not the same time as sunset. In mid-May in New York the sun sets at 20:05, but there is still light: civil twilight does not end until 20:36, 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 New York in May?
- In mid-May, between 10:00 and 17:00: that is the stretch of the day when the UV index reaches 3 in New York, the minimum for the skin to make vitamin D. At the best moment of the day about 7 minutes are enough for a mid-range skin phototype with a quarter of the body exposed to make around 1000 IU.