Santa Cruz, California · Thursday, October 29, 2026

Sunrise and Sunset in Santa Cruz Today

Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026, the sun rises at and sets at PDT in Santa Cruz, California, giving 10 hours, 44 minutes of daylight, 2 minutes 7 seconds shorter than yesterday.

7:29 AM 6:14 PM noon 12:52 PM

Sunrise Rises in the ESE at 106°
Sunset Sets in the WSW at 253°
Daylight 10h 44m −2m 07s vs yesterday
First lightCivil dawn, sun 6° below
Solar noonSun 39.4° above the horizon
Last lightCivil dusk, sun 6° below
Evening golden hour – Golden & blue hour planner

Daylight and twilight across the day

Local time, America/Los_Angeles (UTC−7)

Night: 12:00 AM–6:02 AMAstronomical twilight: 6:02 AM–6:32 AMNautical twilight: 6:32 AM–7:03 AMCivil twilight: 7:03 AM–7:29 AMDaylight: 7:29 AM–6:14 PMCivil twilight: 6:14 PM–6:41 PMNautical twilight: 6:41 PM–7:11 PMAstronomical twilight: 7:11 PM–7:41 PMNight: 7:41 PM–12:00 AMGolden hour: 7:13 AM–8:06 AMGolden hour: 5:38 PM–6:30 PM12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm12am
Twilight times today
DawnDusk
Astronomical −18°
Nautical −12°
Civil −6°
Sunrise / sunset
Golden hour and blue hour today
MorningEvening
Blue hour – –
Golden hour – –

Sunrise and sunset in Santa Cruz for the next 7 days

DateSunriseSunsetDay lengthChange
Today Oct 29 10h 44m −2m 07s
Fri Oct 30 10h 42m −2m 06s
Sat Oct 31 10h 40m −2m 05s
Sun Nov 1 10h 38m −2m 04s
Mon Nov 2 10h 36m −2m 03s
Tue Nov 3 10h 34m −2m 02s
Wed Nov 4 10h 32m −2m 01s

Full October table 2026 calendar

Daylight in Santa Cruz through 2026

Sunrise and sunset each day; steps in the lines are clock changes.

12 am3 am6 am9 am12 pm3 pm6 pm9 pm12 amJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecToday
Longest dayJune 20, 202614h 42m of daylight
Shortest dayDecember 21, 20269h 37m of daylight
Earliest sunriseJune 5, 2026
Latest sunsetJune 21, 2026
Latest sunriseOctober 31, 2026
Earliest sunsetNovember 29, 2026

Month by month in 2026

Santa Cruz sunrise and sunset in 2027

Seasons and clock changes

Equinoxes and solstices in local time
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, 2026PDT
Clocks go back November 1, 2026PST

Solstices and equinoxes 2026 · Daylight saving time

The moon tonight

Waning Gibbous
Waning Gibbous

83% illuminated · 18.8 days old

Moonrise · Moonset

Next full moon: the Beaver Moon, Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at .

Moon calendar for Santa Cruz

Sunrise and sunset in places near Santa Cruz

Today's times; the difference is against Santa Cruz.

PlaceDistanceSunriseSunsetSunrise vs Santa Cruz
Live Oak 2.9 mi ENE same minute
Soquel 4.2 mi ENE same minute
Capitola 4.3 mi E same minute
Scotts Valley 5.4 mi N same minute
Rio Del Mar 7.2 mi E 32 seconds earlier
Aptos 7.3 mi E 31 seconds earlier
Ben Lomond 8.5 mi NNW same minute
Watsonville 16 mi ESE 1 minute 11 seconds earlier
Interlaken 16 mi E 1 minute 13 seconds earlier
Los Gatos 18 mi N same minute

Larger cities nearby

All 637 places in California · United States

About Santa Cruz

Location
Santa Cruz, California, United States
County / district
Santa Cruz County
Coordinates
36.9741°N, 122.0308°W
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Time zone
America/Los_Angeles, PDT (UTC−7)
Population
64,220

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.

Methodology · Glossary

Questions about sunrise and sunset in Santa Cruz

What time is sunrise in Santa Cruz today?

Sunrise in Santa Cruz, California today, Thursday, October 29, 2026, is at 7:29 AM PDT, and sunset is at 6:14 PM.

How many hours of daylight does Santa Cruz get today?

Santa Cruz gets 10 hours, 44 minutes of daylight today, 2 minutes 7 seconds shorter than yesterday.

When is golden hour in Santa Cruz this evening?

Evening golden hour in Santa Cruz runs from 5:38 PM to 6:30 PM PDT today.

When is the longest day of 2026 in Santa Cruz?

The longest day of 2026 in Santa Cruz is June 20, 2026, with 14 hours, 42 minutes of daylight. The shortest is December 21, 2026, with 9 hours, 37 minutes.

What time zone is Santa Cruz in?

Santa Cruz uses the America/Los_Angeles time zone, currently PDT (UTC−7).

From the guides