Photographing the Full Moon Rising: Planning With Azimuth and Timing
The giant moon behind a lighthouse is not luck. It is a date, a direction, a distance, and a few minutes of light, all worked out before…
Kirkwall, Scotland · Sunday, 25 October 2026
Sunrise and Sunset in Kirkwall Today
Today, Sunday, 25 October 2026, the sun rises at and sets at GMT in Kirkwall, Scotland, giving 9 hours, 25 minutes of daylight, 5 minutes 3 seconds shorter than yesterday.
Sunrise
Rises in the ESE at 113°
Sunset
Sets in the WSW at 247°
Daylight
9h 25m
−5m 03s vs yesterday
First lightCivil dawn, sun 6° below
Solar noonSun 18.8° above the horizon
Last lightCivil dusk, sun 6° below
Daylight and twilight across the day
Local time, Europe/London (UTC+0)
- Night
- Astronomical twilight
- Nautical twilight
- Civil twilight
- Daylight
- Golden hour
| Dawn | Dusk | |
|---|---|---|
| Astronomical −18° | ||
| Nautical −12° | ||
| Civil −6° | ||
| Sunrise / sunset |
| Morning | Evening | |
|---|---|---|
| Blue hour | – | – |
| Golden hour | – | – |
Sunrise and sunset in Kirkwall for the next 7 days
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today 25 Oct | 9h 25m | −5m 03s | ||
| Mon 26 Oct | 9h 20m | −5m 03s | ||
| Tue 27 Oct | 9h 15m | −5m 01s | ||
| Wed 28 Oct | 9h 10m | −5m 01s | ||
| Thu 29 Oct | 9h 05m | −4m 59s | ||
| Fri 30 Oct | 9h 00m | −4m 59s | ||
| Sat 31 Oct | 8h 55m | −4m 57s |
Daylight in Kirkwall through 2026
Sunrise and sunset each day; steps in the lines are clock changes.
- Daylight
- Civil twilight
- Night
Longest day21 June 202618h 30m of daylight
Shortest day21 December 20266h 11m of daylight
Earliest sunrise15 June 2026
Latest sunset19 June 2026
Latest sunrise26 December 2026
Earliest sunset11 December 2026
Month by month in 2026
Seasons and clock changes
| March equinox | 20 March 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| June solstice longest day | 21 June 2026 | |
| September equinox | 23 September 2026 | |
| December solstice shortest day | 21 December 2026 | |
| Clocks go forward | 29 March 2026 | BST |
| Clocks go back | 25 October 2026 | GMT |
The moon tonight
Waxing Gibbous
99% illuminated · 14.0 days old
Moonrise · Moonset
Next full moon: the Hunter's Moon, Monday, 26 October 2026 at .
Sunrise and sunset in places near Kirkwall
Today's times; the difference is against Kirkwall.
| Place | Distance | Sunrise | Sunset | Sunrise vs Kirkwall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurso | 34 mi SW | 1 minute 1 second later | ||
| Wick | 38 mi S | 1 minute 11 seconds earlier | ||
| Lossiemouth | 88 mi S | 2 minutes 38 seconds earlier | ||
| Buckie | 90 mi S | 4 minutes 3 seconds earlier | ||
| Elgin | 93 mi S | 2 minutes 42 seconds earlier | ||
| Fraserburgh | 96 mi SSE | 7 minutes 48 seconds earlier | ||
| Forres | 98 mi SSW | 1 minute 36 seconds earlier | ||
| Alness | 101 mi SSW | 1 minute 11 seconds later | ||
| Turriff | 102 mi S | 6 minutes 28 seconds earlier | ||
| Nairn | 103 mi SSW | 39 seconds earlier |
About Kirkwall
- Location
- Kirkwall, Scotland, United Kingdom
- County / district
- Orkney Islands
- Coordinates
- 58.9848°N, 2.9587°W
- Elevation
- 3 m (10 ft)
- Time zone
- Europe/London, GMT (UTC+0)
- Population
- 7,150
How these times are calculated
Sunrise and sunset are the moments the top edge of the sun meets a flat, sea-level horizon, with standard atmospheric refraction (the sun's centre 0.833° below the horizon). Civil, nautical and astronomical twilight begin when the sun is 6°, 12° and 18° below. Golden hour is the sun between 6° above and 4° below.
Questions about sunrise and sunset in Kirkwall
What time is sunrise in Kirkwall today?
Sunrise in Kirkwall, Scotland today, Sunday, 25 October 2026, is at 07:13 GMT, and sunset is at 16:38.
How many hours of daylight does Kirkwall get today?
Kirkwall gets 9 hours, 25 minutes of daylight today, 5 minutes 3 seconds shorter than yesterday.
When is golden hour in Kirkwall this evening?
Evening golden hour in Kirkwall runs from 15:37 to 17:04 GMT today.
When is the longest day of 2026 in Kirkwall?
The longest day of 2026 in Kirkwall is 21 June 2026, with 18 hours, 30 minutes of daylight. The shortest is 21 December 2026, with 6 hours, 11 minutes.
What time zone is Kirkwall in?
Kirkwall uses the Europe/London time zone, currently GMT (UTC+0).
From the guides
Planning a Sunrise Photo Shoot: The Complete Checklist
Sunrise shoots reward people who plan. This checklist covers the night before, the drive out and the first light, so you are set up when…