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…
Rapid City, South Dakota · Saturday, October 24, 2026
Sunrise and Sunset in Rapid City Today
Today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, the sun rises at and sets at MDT in Rapid City, South Dakota, giving 10 hours, 35 minutes of daylight, 2 minutes 51 seconds shorter than yesterday.
Sunrise
Rises in the ESE at 106°
Sunset
Sets in the WSW at 254°
Daylight
10h 35m
−2m 51s vs yesterday
First lightCivil dawn, sun 6° below
Solar noonSun 34.0° above the horizon
Last lightCivil dusk, sun 6° below
Daylight and twilight across the day
Local time, America/Denver (UTC−6)
- 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 Rapid City for the next 7 days
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today Oct 24 | 10h 35m | −2m 51s | ||
| Sun Oct 25 | 10h 32m | −2m 49s | ||
| Mon Oct 26 | 10h 29m | −2m 48s | ||
| Tue Oct 27 | 10h 27m | −2m 48s | ||
| Wed Oct 28 | 10h 24m | −2m 46s | ||
| Thu Oct 29 | 10h 21m | −2m 45s | ||
| Fri Oct 30 | 10h 18m | −2m 45s |
Daylight in Rapid City through 2026
Sunrise and sunset each day; steps in the lines are clock changes.
- Daylight
- Civil twilight
- Night
Longest dayJune 21, 202615h 30m of daylight
Shortest dayDecember 21, 20268h 53m of daylight
Earliest sunriseJune 9, 2026
Latest sunsetJune 23, 2026
Latest sunriseJanuary 2, 2026
Earliest sunsetDecember 4, 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 | MDT |
| Clocks go back | November 1, 2026 | MST |
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 Rapid City
Today's times; the difference is against Rapid City.
| Place | Distance | Sunrise | Sunset | Sunrise vs Rapid City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Valley | 4.4 mi ESE | same minute | ||
| Box Elder | 8.4 mi ENE | 36 seconds earlier | ||
| Ellsworth Air Force Base | 8.9 mi ENE | 31 seconds earlier | ||
| Sturgis | 27 mi NNW | 1 minute 38 seconds later | ||
| Spearfish | 42 mi NW | 3 minutes 10 seconds later | ||
| Belle Fourche | 51 mi NW | 3 minutes 26 seconds later | ||
| Chadron NE | 87 mi S | 2 minutes 51 seconds earlier | ||
| Gillette WY | 113 mi W | 9 minutes 26 seconds later | ||
| Alliance NE | 138 mi S | 4 minutes 27 seconds earlier | ||
| Douglas WY | 141 mi SW | 6 minutes 34 seconds later |
About Rapid City
- Location
- Rapid City, South Dakota, United States
- County / district
- Pennington County
- Coordinates
- 44.0805°N, 103.2310°W
- Elevation
- 988 m (3,241 ft)
- Time zone
- America/Denver, MDT (UTC−6)
- Population
- 73,569
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 Rapid City
What time is sunrise in Rapid City today?
Sunrise in Rapid City, South Dakota today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, is at 7:19 AM MDT, and sunset is at 5:54 PM.
How many hours of daylight does Rapid City get today?
Rapid City gets 10 hours, 35 minutes of daylight today, 2 minutes 51 seconds shorter than yesterday.
When is golden hour in Rapid City this evening?
Evening golden hour in Rapid City runs from 5:14 PM to 6:12 PM MDT today.
When is the longest day of 2026 in Rapid City?
The longest day of 2026 in Rapid City is June 21, 2026, with 15 hours, 30 minutes of daylight. The shortest is December 21, 2026, with 8 hours, 53 minutes.
What time zone is Rapid City in?
Rapid City uses the America/Denver time zone, currently MDT (UTC−6).
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…