The sun, month by month
Sunrise and sunset in Sydney in January
On January 1 in Sydney the sun rises at 05:48 and sets at 20:10; on day 31 it rises at 06:15 and sets at 20:03. Over the month the day gets 34 minutes shorter.
In Sydney (-33.9° latitude), January 2026 has 31 days whose sun rises at 05:48 and sets at 20:10 on the 1st, and at 06:15 and 20:03 on the 31th. Mid-month the day lasts 14 h 10 min and the sun reaches 77° above the horizon. Vitamin D synthesis is possible between 09:00 and 18:00, which is when the UV index reaches at least 3: at the best moment of the day about 5 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 Sydney in January?
Mid-January in Sydney: the sun rises in the southeast — a bearing of 117°, measured from true north — and sets in the southwest, at 243°. That is 27° south of due east at sunrise, and the same 27° south of due west at sunset. From the 1st to the last day of the month both points shift 7° 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 Sydney. Dawn and dusk mark civil twilight.
| Day | Dawn | Sunrise | Sunset | Dusk | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05:19 | 05:48 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 22 min |
| 2 | 05:20 | 05:49 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 21 min |
| 3 | 05:21 | 05:50 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 20 min |
| 4 | 05:21 | 05:50 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 20 min |
| 5 | 05:22 | 05:51 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 19 min |
| 6 | 05:23 | 05:52 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 18 min |
| 7 | 05:24 | 05:53 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 18 min |
| 8 | 05:25 | 05:53 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 17 min |
| 9 | 05:26 | 05:54 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 16 min |
| 10 | 05:26 | 05:55 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 15 min |
| 11 | 05:27 | 05:56 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 14 min |
| 12 | 05:28 | 05:57 | 20:10 | 20:39 | 14 h 13 min |
| 13 | 05:29 | 05:58 | 20:10 | 20:38 | 14 h 12 min |
| 14 | 05:30 | 05:59 | 20:10 | 20:38 | 14 h 11 min |
| 15 | 05:31 | 05:59 | 20:10 | 20:38 | 14 h 10 min |
| 16 | 05:32 | 06:00 | 20:09 | 20:38 | 14 h 09 min |
| 17 | 05:33 | 06:01 | 20:09 | 20:37 | 14 h 08 min |
| 18 | 05:34 | 06:02 | 20:09 | 20:37 | 14 h 07 min |
| 19 | 05:35 | 06:03 | 20:08 | 20:37 | 14 h 05 min |
| 20 | 05:36 | 06:04 | 20:08 | 20:36 | 14 h 04 min |
| 21 | 05:37 | 06:05 | 20:08 | 20:36 | 14 h 03 min |
| 22 | 05:38 | 06:06 | 20:07 | 20:35 | 14 h 01 min |
| 23 | 05:39 | 06:07 | 20:07 | 20:35 | 14 h 00 min |
| 24 | 05:40 | 06:08 | 20:07 | 20:34 | 13 h 59 min |
| 25 | 05:41 | 06:09 | 20:06 | 20:34 | 13 h 57 min |
| 26 | 05:42 | 06:10 | 20:06 | 20:33 | 13 h 56 min |
| 27 | 05:43 | 06:11 | 20:05 | 20:33 | 13 h 54 min |
| 28 | 05:44 | 06:12 | 20:05 | 20:32 | 13 h 53 min |
| 29 | 05:45 | 06:13 | 20:04 | 20:31 | 13 h 51 min |
| 30 | 05:46 | 06:14 | 20:03 | 20:31 | 13 h 50 min |
| 31 | 05:47 | 06:15 | 20:03 | 20:30 | 13 h 48 min |
Approximate astronomical values: they can shift a minute or two from year to year.
What about vitamin D in January?
In January, the typical synthesis window in Sydney runs from 09:00 to 18:00: with medium skin and a t-shirt, ~5 min at the best moment is enough.
See the Sydney vitamin D guideCommon questions about the sun in Sydney in January
- Where does the sun set in Sydney in January?
- Mid-January in Sydney: the sun sets in the southwest, a bearing of 243° measured from true north, which is 27° south of due west. It rises in the southeast, at 117°. Over the month both points shift 7° north.
- How much daylight does Sydney lose in January?
- Over January the day gets 34 minutes shorter in Sydney: on January 1 the sun rises at 05:48 and sets at 20:10, and on day 31 it rises at 06:15 and sets at 20:03.
- How many hours of daylight does Sydney get in January?
- In mid-January the day lasts 14 h 10 min in Sydney, from sunrise at 05:59 to sunset at 20:10. The table has the day length for each of the 31 days of the month.
- What time does it start to get light in Sydney in January?
- In mid-January the sky starts to get light at 05:31 in Sydney, when the sun is 6° below the horizon, and the sun itself does not rise until 05:59. The “Dawn” column of the table gives that time for every day of the month.
- What time does it get dark in Sydney in January?
- It's not the same time as sunset. In mid-January in Sydney the sun sets at 20:10, but there is still light: civil twilight does not end until 20:38, 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 Sydney in January?
- In mid-January, between 09:00 and 18:00: that is the stretch of the day when the UV index reaches 3 in Sydney, the minimum for the skin to make vitamin D. At the best moment of the day about 5 minutes are enough for a mid-range skin phototype with a quarter of the body exposed to make around 1000 IU.