In Brazil, the longest day of the year is the day of the December solstice. In 2026 it falls on Monday, December 21, 2026, at 17:50 Brasília time (20:50 UTC), and it marks the start of summer in the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere the longest day is the June solstice, on June 21, 2026.
Previous longest day: December 21, 2025 at 12:03 (Brasília time).
Why the longest day in Brazil is in December
The Earth's axis is tilted about 23.4° from the plane of its orbit, and it keeps pointing in the same direction as the planet goes around the Sun. Twice a year, at the solstices, one hemisphere leans as far as it can toward the Sun and the other as far as it can away. In December the southern hemisphere, where Brazil is, leans toward the Sun: the Sun climbs higher, its daily arc across the sky is longer and the days are as long as they get. Six months later the situation reverses.
This is why the labels depend on where you live. The longest day is the December solstice in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia and the whole southern hemisphere, but the June solstice in the United States, Europe, Japan and the rest of the northern hemisphere. Near the equator the difference between the longest and shortest day is only a few minutes.
Strictly speaking, a solstice is not a whole day but an instant: the moment the Sun reaches its greatest declination, about 23.4° south of the celestial equator. That instant is December 21, 2026 at 17:50 Brasília time. Because it is a single instant, the date depends on the time zone: the same moment is 20:50 UTC. The "longest day" is simply the local calendar day that contains it, and the day length changes so slowly around the solstice (a few seconds per day) that the days just before and after are practically the same.
Day length in the 27 Brazilian capitals
In São Paulo the longest day of 2026 has 13h 35min of daylight, +1h 28min compared with a day at the March equinox, while the opposite solstice has 10h 41min. Among the capitals, the longest day is in Porto Alegre (14h 5min) and the shortest of the group is in Macapá (12h 7min). Lengths are measured from sunrise to sunset on the local solstice date.
| Place | Latitude | Longest day | Shortest day | Longest − shortest | Longest vs. equinox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aracaju (SE) | 10.91° S | 12h 46min (Dec 21) | 11h 29min (Jun 21) | +1h 16min | +39min |
| Belém (PA) | 1.46° S | 12h 12min (Dec 21) | 12h 2min (Jun 21) | +10min | +6min |
| Belo Horizonte (MG) | 19.92° S | 13h 20min (Dec 21) | 10h 55min (Jun 21) | +2h 24min | +1h 13min |
| Boa Vista (RR) | 2.82° N | 12h 17min (Jun 21) | 11h 57min (Dec 21) | +19min | +10min |
| Brasília (DF) | 15.78° S | 13h 4min (Dec 21) | 11h 11min (Jun 21) | +1h 52min | +57min |
| Campo Grande (MS) | 20.47° S | 13h 22min (Dec 21) | 10h 53min (Jun 21) | +2h 29min | +1h 15min |
| Cuiabá (MT) | 15.60° S | 13h 3min (Dec 21) | 11h 12min (Jun 21) | +1h 51min | +56min |
| Curitiba (PR) | 25.43° S | 13h 43min (Dec 21) | 10h 33min (Jun 21) | +3h 10min | +1h 36min |
| Florianópolis (SC) | 27.60° S | 13h 53min (Dec 21) | 10h 23min (Jun 21) | +3h 29min | +1h 46min |
| Fortaleza (CE) | 3.73° S | 12h 20min (Dec 21) | 11h 54min (Jun 21) | +26min | +13min |
| Goiânia (GO) | 16.68° S | 13h 7min (Dec 21) | 11h 8min (Jun 21) | +1h 59min | +1h 0min |
| João Pessoa (PB) | 7.12° S | 12h 32min (Dec 21) | 11h 42min (Jun 21) | +49min | +25min |
| Macapá (AP) | 0.03° N | 12h 7min (Jun 21) | 12h 7min (Dec 21) | +0min | +0min |
| Maceió (AL) | 9.67° S | 12h 41min (Dec 21) | 11h 33min (Jun 21) | +1h 7min | +34min |
| Manaus (AM) | 3.12° S | 12h 18min (Dec 21) | 11h 56min (Jun 21) | +21min | +11min |
| Natal (RN) | 5.79° S | 12h 27min (Dec 21) | 11h 47min (Jun 21) | +40min | +21min |
| Palmas (TO) | 10.18° S | 12h 43min (Dec 21) | 11h 31min (Jun 21) | +1h 11min | +36min |
| Porto Alegre (RS) | 30.03° S | 14h 5min (Dec 21) | 10h 12min (Jun 21) | +3h 52min | +1h 57min |
| Porto Velho (RO) | 8.76° S | 12h 38min (Dec 21) | 11h 36min (Jun 21) | +1h 1min | +31min |
| Recife (PE) | 8.05° S | 12h 35min (Dec 21) | 11h 39min (Jun 21) | +56min | +29min |
| Rio Branco (AC) | 9.97° S | 12h 42min (Dec 21) | 11h 32min (Jun 21) | +1h 10min | +36min |
| Rio de Janeiro (RJ) | 22.91° S | 13h 32min (Dec 21) | 10h 43min (Jun 21) | +2h 49min | +1h 25min |
| Salvador (BA) | 12.97° S | 12h 53min (Dec 21) | 11h 21min (Jun 21) | +1h 31min | +46min |
| São Luís (MA) | 2.53° S | 12h 16min (Dec 21) | 11h 58min (Jun 21) | +17min | +9min |
| São Paulo (SP) | 23.55° S | 13h 35min (Dec 21) | 10h 41min (Jun 21) | +2h 54min | +1h 28min |
| Teresina (PI) | 5.09° S | 12h 25min (Dec 21) | 11h 49min (Jun 21) | +35min | +18min |
| Vitória (ES) | 20.32° S | 13h 22min (Dec 21) | 10h 54min (Jun 21) | +2h 28min | +1h 15min |
Close to the equator (Macapá, Boa Vista) the difference is only a few minutes and the "longest" day can fall on the other solstice. Sunrise and sunset for each capital are on the sunrise and sunset page.
Day length around the world at the solstices
The farther from the equator, the bigger the swing. In the list below, places are ordered from north to south, so you can watch the pattern flip at the equator: northern cities have their longest day in June and their shortest in December, and southern ones the opposite. Beyond the polar circles (about 66.5° of latitude) the Sun does not set at all around the summer solstice (midnight sun) and does not rise around the winter one (polar night).
| Place | Latitude | Longest day | Shortest day | Longest − shortest | Longest vs. equinox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland (Reykjavík) | 64.13° N | 21h 7min (Jun 21) | 4h 7min (Dec 21) | +17h 0min | +8h 53min |
| Finland (Helsinki) | 60.17° N | 18h 56min (Jun 21) | 5h 48min (Dec 21) | +13h 7min | +6h 43min |
| Norway (Oslo) | 59.91° N | 18h 50min (Jun 21) | 5h 53min (Dec 21) | +12h 56min | +6h 37min |
| Russia (Moscow) | 55.76° N | 17h 33min (Jun 21) | 7h 0min (Dec 21) | +10h 33min | +5h 22min |
| Germany (Berlin) | 52.52° N | 16h 50min (Jun 21) | 7h 39min (Dec 21) | +9h 11min | +4h 40min |
| United Kingdom (London) | 51.51° N | 16h 38min (Jun 21) | 7h 49min (Dec 21) | +8h 48min | +4h 28min |
| France (Paris) | 48.86° N | 16h 10min (Jun 21) | 8h 14min (Dec 21) | +7h 56min | +4h 1min |
| Canada (Ottawa) | 43.65° N | 15h 26min (Jun 21) | 8h 55min (Dec 21) | +6h 30min | +3h 17min |
| Italy (Rome) | 41.90° N | 15h 13min (Jun 21) | 9h 7min (Dec 21) | +6h 6min | +3h 5min |
| Spain (Madrid) | 40.42° N | 15h 3min (Jun 21) | 9h 17min (Dec 21) | +5h 46min | +2h 55min |
| China (Beijing) | 39.90° N | 15h 0min (Jun 21) | 9h 20min (Dec 22) | +5h 40min | +2h 52min |
| United States (Washington, D.C.) | 38.91° N | 14h 53min (Jun 21) | 9h 26min (Dec 21) | +5h 27min | +2h 45min |
| Portugal (Lisbon) | 38.72° N | 14h 52min (Jun 21) | 9h 27min (Dec 21) | +5h 25min | +2h 44min |
| Japan (Tokyo) | 35.69° N | 14h 34min (Jun 21) | 9h 44min (Dec 22) | +4h 50min | +2h 27min |
| Egypt (Cairo) | 30.04° N | 14h 4min (Jun 21) | 10h 12min (Dec 21) | +3h 52min | +1h 57min |
| India (New Delhi) | 28.61° N | 13h 58min (Jun 21) | 10h 19min (Dec 22) | +3h 38min | +1h 51min |
| Mexico (Mexico City) | 19.43° N | 13h 18min (Jun 21) | 10h 57min (Dec 21) | +2h 20min | +1h 11min |
| Thailand (Bangkok) | 13.76° N | 12h 56min (Jun 21) | 11h 19min (Dec 22) | +1h 37min | +49min |
| Nigeria (Abuja) | 9.08° N | 12h 39min (Jun 21) | 11h 35min (Dec 21) | +1h 3min | +32min |
| Singapore | 1.35° N | 12h 12min (Jun 21) | 12h 2min (Dec 22) | +9min | +5min |
| Kenya (Nairobi) | 1.29° S | 12h 12min (Dec 21) | 12h 2min (Jun 21) | +9min | +5min |
| Indonesia (Jakarta) | 6.18° S | 12h 29min (Dec 22) | 11h 45min (Jun 21) | +43min | +22min |
| Angola (Luanda) | 8.84° S | 12h 38min (Dec 21) | 11h 36min (Jun 21) | +1h 2min | +31min |
| Peru (Lima) | 12.05° S | 12h 50min (Dec 21) | 11h 25min (Jun 21) | +1h 25min | +43min |
| South Africa (Johannesburg) | 26.20° S | 13h 47min (Dec 21) | 10h 29min (Jun 21) | +3h 17min | +1h 39min |
| Chile (Santiago) | 33.45° S | 14h 22min (Dec 21) | 9h 56min (Jun 21) | +4h 26min | +2h 14min |
| Argentina (Buenos Aires) | 34.60° S | 14h 28min (Dec 21) | 9h 50min (Jun 21) | +4h 38min | +2h 20min |
| Uruguay (Montevideo) | 34.90° S | 14h 30min (Dec 21) | 9h 48min (Jun 21) | +4h 41min | +2h 22min |
Upcoming December and June solstices
Exact dates and times in Brasília time (UTC-3) and UTC. In Brazil the December column is the longest day and the June column is the shortest day.
| Year | June solstice (Brasília) | UTC | December solstice (Brasília) | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | June 21, 2026, 05:24 | 08:24 | December 21, 2026, 17:50 | 20:50 |
| 2027 | June 21, 2027, 11:10 | 14:10 | December 21, 2027, 23:42 | 02:42 |
| 2028 | June 20, 2028, 17:01 | 20:01 | December 21, 2028, 05:20 | 08:20 |
| 2029 | June 20, 2029, 22:48 | 01:48 | December 21, 2029, 11:14 | 14:14 |
| 2030 | June 21, 2030, 04:31 | 07:31 | December 21, 2030, 17:09 | 20:09 |
| 2031 | June 21, 2031, 10:17 | 13:17 | December 21, 2031, 22:56 | 01:56 |
| 2032 | June 20, 2032, 16:08 | 19:08 | December 21, 2032, 04:56 | 07:56 |
| 2033 | June 20, 2033, 22:01 | 01:01 | December 21, 2033, 10:45 | 13:45 |
The solstice slides by about six hours a year and jumps back in leap years, so the date alternates between the 20th, 21st and 22nd. The times come from astronomical formulas (Meeus) and are accurate to within a minute or so.
Does the longest day have the earliest sunrise?
Not exactly, and this surprises many people. In São Paulo in 2026, the earliest sunrise is on November 22 (05:11) and the latest sunset on January 7 (18:58), while the latest sunrise is on June 28 (06:49) and the earliest sunset on May 29 (17:27). None of these coincides exactly with a solstice. The reason is the equation of time: because Earth's orbit is elliptical and its axis is tilted, solar noon drifts by up to about 16 minutes through the year relative to the clock. Around the solstices solar noon keeps drifting a little each day, so sunrise and sunset do not move at the same pace and the extreme dates of the morning and of the evening are pulled apart, falling days or weeks away from the solstice.
Another way to see it: the day length at the solstice itself barely moves, because the Sun's declination is at its turning point. What changes quickly is when the day is centred on the clock.
Sun overhead, tropics and the solstice sky
At the December solstice the Sun at noon is directly overhead at latitude 23.4° S, the Tropic of Capricorn. This line crosses Brazil through the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná and São Paulo, so around December 21 places in that band have a noon without shadow. In São Paulo (23.55° S) the Sun reaches 89.9° of elevation at noon.