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…
Decatur, Illinois · Saturday, October 24, 2026
Sunrise and Sunset in Decatur Today
Today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, the sun rises at and sets at CDT in Decatur, Illinois, giving 10 hours, 48 minutes of daylight, 2 minutes 26 seconds shorter than yesterday.
Sunrise
Rises in the ESE at 105°
Sunset
Sets in the WSW at 255°
Daylight
10h 48m
−2m 26s vs yesterday
First lightCivil dawn, sun 6° below
Solar noonSun 38.2° 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 Decatur for the next 7 days
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today Oct 24 | 10h 48m | −2m 26s | ||
| Sun Oct 25 | 10h 45m | −2m 25s | ||
| Mon Oct 26 | 10h 43m | −2m 25s | ||
| Tue Oct 27 | 10h 40m | −2m 23s | ||
| Wed Oct 28 | 10h 38m | −2m 23s | ||
| Thu Oct 29 | 10h 36m | −2m 21s | ||
| Fri Oct 30 | 10h 33m | −2m 20s |
Daylight in Decatur through 2026
Sunrise and sunset each day; steps in the lines are clock changes.
- Daylight
- Civil twilight
- Night
Longest dayJune 20, 202615h 00m of daylight
Shortest dayDecember 21, 20269h 21m of daylight
Earliest sunriseJune 12, 2026
Latest sunsetJune 23, 2026
Latest sunriseOctober 31, 2026
Earliest sunsetDecember 5, 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 Decatur
Today's times; the difference is against Decatur.
| Place | Distance | Sunrise | Sunset | Sunrise vs Decatur |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Zion | 6.4 mi SE | same minute | ||
| Clinton | 22 mi N | same minute | ||
| Monticello | 24 mi ENE | 1 minute 16 seconds earlier | ||
| Taylorville | 27 mi SW | 58 seconds later | ||
| Lincoln | 30 mi NW | 2 minutes 4 seconds later | ||
| Pana | 32 mi SSW | same minute | ||
| Springfield | 37 mi W | 2 minutes 42 seconds later | ||
| Mahomet | 38 mi NE | 1 minute 43 seconds earlier | ||
| Mattoon | 40 mi SE | 2 minutes 49 seconds earlier | ||
| Savoy | 40 mi ENE | 2 minutes 31 seconds earlier |
Larger cities nearby
Other places called Decatur
About Decatur
- Location
- Decatur, Illinois, United States
- County / district
- Macon County
- Coordinates
- 39.8403°N, 88.9548°W
- Elevation
- 205 m (673 ft)
- Time zone
- America/Chicago, CDT (UTC−5)
- Population
- 73,254
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 Decatur
What time is sunrise in Decatur today?
Sunrise in Decatur, Illinois today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, is at 7:16 AM CDT, and sunset is at 6:04 PM.
How many hours of daylight does Decatur get today?
Decatur gets 10 hours, 48 minutes of daylight today, 2 minutes 26 seconds shorter than yesterday.
When is golden hour in Decatur this evening?
Evening golden hour in Decatur runs from 5:26 PM to 6:21 PM CDT today.
When is the longest day of 2026 in Decatur?
The longest day of 2026 in Decatur is June 20, 2026, with 15 hours of daylight. The shortest is December 21, 2026, with 9 hours, 21 minutes.
What time zone is Decatur in?
Decatur 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…