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…
Madison, Alabama · Saturday, October 24, 2026
Sunrise and Sunset in Madison Today
Today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, the sun rises at and sets at CDT in Madison, Alabama, giving 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight, 2 minutes shorter than yesterday.
Sunrise
Rises in the ESE at 104°
Sunset
Sets in the WSW at 256°
Daylight
11h 01m
−2m 00s vs yesterday
First lightCivil dawn, sun 6° below
Solar noonSun 43.4° above the horizon
Last lightCivil dusk, sun 6° below
Daylight and twilight across the day
Local time, America/Chicago (UTC−5)
- 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 Madison for the next 7 days
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today Oct 24 | 11h 01m | −2m 00s | ||
| Sun Oct 25 | 10h 59m | −2m 00s | ||
| Mon Oct 26 | 10h 57m | −1m 59s | ||
| Tue Oct 27 | 10h 55m | −1m 59s | ||
| Wed Oct 28 | 10h 53m | −1m 57s | ||
| Thu Oct 29 | 10h 51m | −1m 57s | ||
| Fri Oct 30 | 10h 49m | −1m 55s |
Daylight in Madison through 2026
Sunrise and sunset each day; steps in the lines are clock changes.
- Daylight
- Civil twilight
- Night
Longest dayJune 20, 202614h 29m of daylight
Shortest dayDecember 21, 20269h 50m of daylight
Earliest sunriseJune 6, 2026
Latest sunsetJune 25, 2026
Latest sunriseMarch 8, 2026
Earliest sunsetDecember 2, 2026
Month by month in 2026
Seasons and clock changes
| March equinox | March 20, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| June solstice longest day | June 21, 2026 | |
| September equinox | September 22, 2026 | |
| December solstice shortest day | December 21, 2026 | |
| Clocks go forward | March 8, 2026 | CDT |
| Clocks go back | November 1, 2026 | CST |
The moon tonight
Waxing Gibbous
97% illuminated · 13.2 days old
Moonrise · Moonset
Next full moon: the Hunter's Moon, Sunday, October 25, 2026 at .
Sunrise and sunset in places near Madison
Today's times; the difference is against Madison.
| Place | Distance | Sunrise | Sunset | Sunrise vs Madison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | 9.5 mi ENE | 37 seconds earlier | ||
| Harvest | 11 mi N | same minute | ||
| Meridianville | 15 mi NE | 31 seconds earlier | ||
| Athens | 15 mi WNW | 1 minute 1 second later | ||
| Decatur | 15 mi WSW | 50 seconds later | ||
| Moores Mill | 16 mi NE | 45 seconds earlier | ||
| Hartselle | 21 mi SSW | same minute | ||
| Danville | 28 mi SW | 1 minute 1 second later | ||
| Arab | 30 mi SSE | 1 minute 28 seconds earlier | ||
| Fayetteville TN | 33 mi NNE | same minute |
Larger cities nearby
Other places called Madison
About Madison
- Location
- Madison, Alabama, United States
- County / district
- Madison County
- Coordinates
- 34.6993°N, 86.7483°W
- Elevation
- 215 m (705 ft)
- Time zone
- America/Chicago, CDT (UTC−5)
- Population
- 46,962
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 Madison
What time is sunrise in Madison today?
Sunrise in Madison, Alabama today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, is at 7:00 AM CDT, and sunset is at 6:01 PM.
How many hours of daylight does Madison get today?
Madison gets 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight today, 2 minutes shorter than yesterday.
When is golden hour in Madison this evening?
Evening golden hour in Madison runs from 5:27 PM to 6:17 PM CDT today.
When is the longest day of 2026 in Madison?
The longest day of 2026 in Madison is June 20, 2026, with 14 hours, 29 minutes of daylight. The shortest is December 21, 2026, with 9 hours, 50 minutes.
What time zone is Madison in?
Madison uses the America/Chicago time zone, currently CDT (UTC−5).
From the guides
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…