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Photographer's Guide to Nanjing

Golden Hour & Twilight in Nanjing

Local time is 11:58 AM. Sunset in 6h 51m, at 6:48 PM. Use the quick paths below to jump straight to photography, moon, or prayer details.

Jiangsu, China Asia/Shanghai 13h 32m daylight
Sunset in 6h 51m 6:48 PM local time

Evening golden hour begins at 6:14 PM.

Dawn 4:50 AM Daylight is active right now. Dusk 7:14 PM
Sunrise 5:17 AM Solar noon 12:02 PM Sunset 6:48 PM

Tomorrow's Sunrise Quality

Analyzing forecast...
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Fetching cloud and mist probabilities...

Sunrise 5:17 AM Same as yesterday
Sunset 6:48 PM Same as yesterday
Daylight 13h 32m 9 min longer across 7 days
Moon Waning Gibbous 89% illumination tonight
Photography Golden hour windows

Morning 5:17 AM to 5:50 AM · Evening starts 6:14 PM

Moon New Moon in 12 days

Waning Gibbous now with 89% illumination.

Prayer Dhuhr at 12:03 PM

Full schedule stays below when you need it.

Photography Windows in Nanjing

Lead with the moments that actually change your outdoor plan: golden hour, twilight, and whether daylight is getting longer or shorter this week.

Morning Golden Hour

5:17 AM 5:50 AM
34 minutes

Evening Golden Hour

6:14 PM 6:48 PM
34 minutes
PhaseDawnDusk
Civil Twilight 4:50 AM 7:14 PM
Nautical Twilight 4:19 AM 7:46 PM
Astronomical Twilight 3:46 AM 8:19 PM
Daylight Trend — 7 Day View
13.5h
Tue
13.6h
Wed
13.6h
Thu
13.6h
Fri
13.6h
Sat
13.7h
Sun
13.7h
Mon

Moon Data for Nanjing

Useful when your plan extends past sunset or when you want to know whether moonlight will help or compete with the shot.

Moon Phase

Waning Gibbous 89% illumination

Moonrise & Moonset

Rise 10:21 PM
Set
New Moon arrives in 12 days.

Prayer Times in Nanjing

The full schedule is available when you need it, while the page keeps the main sunrise and sunset answer easy to scan for everyone else.

Next prayer Dhuhr 12:03 PM
Fajr 3:46 AM
Sunrise 5:17 AM
Dhuhr 12:03 PM
Asr 3:42 PM
Maghrib 6:49 PM
Isha 8:13 PM

Calculated using Muslim World League (MWL) method. Standard (Shafi'i) juristic method for Asr.

About Sunrise & Sunset in Nanjing

Today in Nanjing, the sun rises at 5:17 AM and sets at 6:48 PM, providing 13h 32m of daylight. Solar noon lands at 12:02 PM, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Civil twilight begins at 4:50 AM and ends at 7:14 PM, extending usable outdoor light beyond sunrise and sunset.

How Sunrise and Sunset Times Are Calculated

SunriseTime uses the NOAA Solar Calculator algorithm to compute sunrise and sunset times with precision within one minute. The calculation accounts for Nanjing's geographic coordinates (latitude 32.0617°, longitude 118.7778°), atmospheric refraction, and the sun's apparent diameter. All times are displayed in the local timezone (Asia/Shanghai) and updated daily.

Golden Hour Photography in Nanjing

The morning golden hour in Nanjing runs from 5:17 AM to 5:50 AM (34 minutes), while the evening golden hour spans 6:14 PM to 6:48 PM (34 minutes). During golden hour, sunlight travels through more atmosphere, producing warm tones ideal for photography and filmmaking.

Daylight Trends and Seasonal Changes

Daylight duration in Nanjing changes throughout the year based on its latitude of 32.06°. The 7-day forecast above shows how daylight hours are currently trending. Compared to yesterday, sunrise is at the same local time as yesterday and sunset is at the same local time as yesterday, reflecting the gradual seasonal transition.

Moon Phase and Lunar Data

The current moon phase in Nanjing is Waning Gibbous with 89% illumination. Moonrise occurs at 10:21 PM. Lunar data is useful for astronomers, photographers planning night shoots, and anyone interested in tidal patterns.

Prayer Times Calculation Method

Prayer times for Nanjing are calculated using the Muslim World League (MWL) convention, which sets Fajr at 18° below the horizon and Isha at 17°. The Asr time follows the Standard (Shafi'i) juristic method, where the shadow length equals the object height plus the shadow at solar noon.

30-Day Light Outlook

These changes make the page useful beyond the one-off “what time is sunrise today?” query.

Compared with 30 days ago

Daylight +54 min
Sunrise 33 min earlier
Sunset 21 min later
This helps explain whether mornings are opening up or tightening right now.

Expected 30 days from now

Daylight +36 min
Sunrise 17 min earlier
Sunset 20 min later
A quick way to see how much the local light schedule will move over the next month.

2026 Annual Light Extremes

This section answers the next useful question after today: when are the real yearly limits for local light?

Sunrise extremes

Earliest sunrise 4:59 AM
Latest sunrise 7:07 AM
Jun 7 · Jan 3

Sunset extremes

Earliest sunset 5:01 PM
Latest sunset 7:16 PM
Nov 30 · Jun 26

Longest day

Daylight 14h 15m
Date Jun 17
The widest daylight window of the year in Nanjing.

Shortest day

Daylight 10h 03m
Date Dec 17
The narrowest daylight window of the year in Nanjing.

Seasonal Daylight Checkpoints

These four checkpoints make the year easier to scan than a raw calendar of 365 daily values.

Checkpoint Date Sunrise Sunset Daylight
March Equinox Mar 20 6:10 AM 6:16 PM 12h 06m
June Solstice Jun 21 5:00 AM 7:15 PM 14h 15m
September Equinox Sep 22 5:53 AM 6:04 PM 12h 10m
December Solstice Dec 21 7:02 AM 5:05 PM 10h 03m

Photo Planning Signals for Nanjing

These checks make the page more than a time lookup: they show how latitude, season, and nearby alternatives affect the shoot window.

Latitude band Moderate seasonal movement with useful morning/evening contrast

32.06°, 118.78° · Asia/Shanghai

Window balance Morning and evening windows are similar today

Morning: 34 min · Evening: 34 min

Annual daylight swing 4 h between shortest and longest day

Longest day: 14h 15m · Shortest day: 10h 03m

Check this matrix before scheduling portraits, skyline shots, travel arrivals, or outdoor video in Nanjing.

Sunrise Times in Nearby Cities

Once you have the answer for this city, the next most useful action is usually comparing it with a nearby or destination city.

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