Philadelphia Sunrise and Sunset Times by Date
Find Philadelphia sunrise and sunset by date and understand Eastern time and changing daylight hours.
Philadelphia Sunrise and Sunset Times by Date
Focus keyword: sunset philadelphia | Editorial gate: HOLD_LIVE_CITY_DATA
Sunrise and sunset in Philadelphia change with the date. To answer a “today” query accurately, select Philadelphia and the requested calendar day in a trusted solar-data service, then read the result in EST/EDT. This draft gives the city-specific context and verification method, but intentionally does not invent a live sunrise or sunset time.
How to find today’s sunrise and sunset in Philadelphia
Use the U.S. Naval Observatory’s date-and-location rise/set service or a reliable NOAA-based solar calculator. Enter Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, select the desired date, and confirm the time zone America/New_York. Request sunrise, sunset and the end of evening civil twilight rather than copying a search snippet for another date. The location must be unambiguous before the time is suitable for public display.
| Event for selected date | Required published value |
| Sunrise | Calculated local clock time; with date and time zone |
| Solar noon | Calculated local time (not necessarily 12:00) |
| Sunset | Calculated local clock time; with date and time zone |
| End of evening civil twilight | Calculated local time; distinct from sunset |
| Day length | Calculated interval between sunrise and sunset |
EDITORIAL HOLD: The entries above specify data required for a live page; they are not a functioning table of current times. Connect a verified date/location calculation before making the page publicly indexable. Any displayed values should carry the date, location, zone and a visible data-source/last-updated label.
What makes the Philadelphia sky different?
Philadelphia time is local Eastern Time
Philadelphia and New York City share the Eastern time zone, but their longitude and latitude differ. A New York search result is not a reliable substitute for Philadelphia on a particular date.
Rivers and skyline affect the visible Sun
Views near the Delaware or Schuylkill can provide more open sight lines than tightly built streets, yet bridges, embankments and the skyline can still block the disk before or after the conventional astronomical horizon event.
Daylight-saving date matters
Philadelphia changes between EST and EDT. During the November 1, 2026 fall-back, the clock display of a solar event changes by about an hour even though the underlying Sun position moves gradually.
What time zone should the city page use?
This location uses EST/EDT. In 2026, daylight saving time ran from March 8 to November 1 under U.S. rules. Solar positions change continuously, but clock labels shift at the transition. A calendar widget should use the IANA identifier America/New_York and derive the correct offset from the date, not use a fixed UTC offset for the entire year.
Planning around Philadelphia sunset
If taking a photo along a river, match your chosen bank and the date’s sunset azimuth. A broad water view is useful only when it faces the relevant part of the horizon.
The reported almanac event describes an unobstructed horizon. If you need the exact visible appearance from a street, hilltop, pier or trail, account for the viewing direction, obstructions, weather, and how much light remains after sunset. A person scheduling a walk should also know when evening civil twilight ends; photography may call for an azimuth as well as a time.
Accuracy checklist before publishing
Confirm the exact city is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; do not substitute a similarly named location.
Compute sunrise and sunset for the selected date using zone America/New_York, including the applicable date-specific UTC offset.
Display local sunrise, solar noon, sunset, civil twilight, day length and a source/last-updated notice.
Provide a working date selector rather than relabeling the same static result “today” every morning.
Check formatting, rollover dates and DST behavior on the spring and fall transition dates where relevant.
Related: Sunrise and sunset date/location lookup guide
Related: Compare another city’s solar-time guidance
Frequently asked questions
What time is sunset in Philadelphia today?
It depends on the current date and the selected point in Philadelphia. Use an authoritative solar calculator with the correct local zone; this draft does not publish an unverified live clock time.
Is the sunset time the same across Philadelphia?
An almanac reference may cover the general city, but coordinates and horizon obstructions can cause differences in the local observed view.
When does it get fully dark in Philadelphia?
Sunset is not the same as full darkness. Find the end of civil twilight for an everyday planning reference, or astronomical twilight for darker-sky activities.
Does Philadelphia change clocks in November?
Yes. The city follows U.S. DST and returned to standard time on November 1, 2026.
Editorial references (not outbound hyperlinks): U.S. Naval Observatory rise/set and twilight data; NOAA solar calculator glossary; NIST U.S. daylight saving rules. Verify any dynamic values again before publishing.