Sun angle, daylight and sunset times for 45 Atlantic Canadian communities, and what they mean for your windows.
Three things Atlantic light does to your windows
1. The winter sun comes in sideways
At noon on December 21 the sun stands just 22 degrees above the horizon in Halifax, 19 degrees in St. John's and 13 degrees in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. At that angle, sunlight does not fall on the floor by the window. It shoots straight across the room, into your eyes, onto the TV and across the computer screen. Overhangs and eaves that shade a window in summer do nothing in winter.
What works: solar shades that cut glare while keeping the view, zebra blinds you can adjust through the day, and top-down bottom-up shades that block the low band of sun but let light in above it.
2. Winter days are short, so every hour of light counts
Most Atlantic communities get between 7.5 and 9 hours of daylight on the shortest day. Covering a window completely for privacy means losing much of that light. Window coverings that filter rather than block, and that let you open the top while covering the bottom, give you privacy without living in the dark.
What works: sheer shades, light-filtering cellular shades and top-down bottom-up designs.
3. Summer evenings are long and bright
On June 21 the sun sets after 9 p.m. across most of the region, and close to 10 p.m. in Labrador City. Dawn comes before 5:30 a.m. in much of Newfoundland and well before 5 a.m. in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Children, shift workers and light sleepers need true darkness, not "room darkening."
What works: blackout blinds with side channels or an outside mount that covers the gaps, and blackout cellular shades that also insulate.
The data
Approximate times for December 21 (winter solstice) and June 21 (summer solstice), 2026, local time, calculated from each community's coordinates. "Noon sun" is the sun's height above the horizon at solar noon. Lower numbers mean light travels further into a room, and more glare.
Nova Scotia
| City | Dec 21 sunrise | Dec 21 sunset | Dec 21 daylight | Dec 21 noon sun | Jun 21 sunrise | Jun 21 sunset | Jun 21 daylight | Jun 21 noon sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | 7:48 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 8 h 48 min | 22° | 5:29 a.m. | 9:03 p.m. | 15 h 34 min | 69° |
| Dartmouth | 7:48 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 8 h 48 min | 22° | 5:29 a.m. | 9:03 p.m. | 15 h 34 min | 69° |
| Bedford | 7:49 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 8 h 47 min | 22° | 5:29 a.m. | 9:03 p.m. | 15 h 34 min | 69° |
| Sackville | 7:49 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 8 h 47 min | 22° | 5:29 a.m. | 9:03 p.m. | 15 h 35 min | 69° |
| Rural HRM | 7:49 a.m. | 4:35 p.m. | 8 h 47 min | 22° | 5:28 a.m. | 9:03 p.m. | 15 h 35 min | 69° |
| Sydney | 7:40 a.m. | 4:17 p.m. | 8 h 37 min | 20° | 5:09 a.m. | 8:55 p.m. | 15 h 46 min | 67° |
| Glace Bay | 7:39 a.m. | 4:16 p.m. | 8 h 36 min | 20° | 5:08 a.m. | 8:54 p.m. | 15 h 46 min | 67° |
| Wolfville | 7:53 a.m. | 4:37 p.m. | 8 h 45 min | 22° | 5:30 a.m. | 9:07 p.m. | 15 h 37 min | 68° |
| Kentville | 7:53 a.m. | 4:38 p.m. | 8 h 45 min | 22° | 5:31 a.m. | 9:08 p.m. | 15 h 37 min | 68° |
| Bridgewater | 7:51 a.m. | 4:41 p.m. | 8 h 50 min | 22° | 5:34 a.m. | 9:05 p.m. | 15 h 32 min | 69° |
| Truro | 7:49 a.m. | 4:32 p.m. | 8 h 43 min | 21° | 5:25 a.m. | 9:04 p.m. | 15 h 40 min | 68° |
| New Glasgow | 7:48 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 8 h 41 min | 21° | 5:21 a.m. | 9:03 p.m. | 15 h 41 min | 68° |
| Antigonish | 7:45 a.m. | 4:26 p.m. | 8 h 41 min | 21° | 5:19 a.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 15 h 42 min | 68° |
| Yarmouth | 7:55 a.m. | 4:49 p.m. | 8 h 54 min | 23° | 5:42 a.m. | 9:10 p.m. | 15 h 28 min | 70° |
New Brunswick
| City | Dec 21 sunrise | Dec 21 sunset | Dec 21 daylight | Dec 21 noon sun | Jun 21 sunrise | Jun 21 sunset | Jun 21 daylight | Jun 21 noon sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moncton | 7:58 a.m. | 4:35 p.m. | 8 h 37 min | 21° | 5:28 a.m. | 9:13 p.m. | 15 h 45 min | 67° |
| Dieppe | 7:58 a.m. | 4:35 p.m. | 8 h 37 min | 21° | 5:27 a.m. | 9:13 p.m. | 15 h 46 min | 67° |
| Riverview | 7:58 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 8 h 37 min | 21° | 5:28 a.m. | 9:13 p.m. | 15 h 45 min | 67° |
| Fredericton | 8:05 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 8 h 38 min | 21° | 5:36 a.m. | 9:20 p.m. | 15 h 44 min | 67° |
| Saint John | 8:00 a.m. | 4:44 p.m. | 8 h 43 min | 21° | 5:36 a.m. | 9:15 p.m. | 15 h 39 min | 68° |
| Bathurst | 8:08 a.m. | 4:33 p.m. | 8 h 25 min | 19° | 5:25 a.m. | 9:23 p.m. | 15 h 59 min | 66° |
| Edmundston | 8:18 a.m. | 4:44 p.m. | 8 h 27 min | 19° | 5:36 a.m. | 9:33 p.m. | 15 h 57 min | 66° |
| Miramichi | 8:05 a.m. | 4:34 p.m. | 8 h 30 min | 20° | 5:27 a.m. | 9:20 p.m. | 15 h 54 min | 66° |
| Caraquet | 8:06 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 8 h 23 min | 19° | 5:21 a.m. | 9:21 p.m. | 16 h | 66° |
| Quispamsis | 8:00 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 8 h 42 min | 21° | 5:35 a.m. | 9:15 p.m. | 15 h 40 min | 68° |
| Rothesay | 8:00 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 8 h 43 min | 21° | 5:36 a.m. | 9:15 p.m. | 15 h 40 min | 68° |
Prince Edward Island
| City | Dec 21 sunrise | Dec 21 sunset | Dec 21 daylight | Dec 21 noon sun | Jun 21 sunrise | Jun 21 sunset | Jun 21 daylight | Jun 21 noon sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottetown | 7:52 a.m. | 4:28 p.m. | 8 h 36 min | 20° | 5:21 a.m. | 9:07 p.m. | 15 h 47 min | 67° |
| Stratford | 7:52 a.m. | 4:28 p.m. | 8 h 36 min | 20° | 5:20 a.m. | 9:07 p.m. | 15 h 47 min | 67° |
| Cornwall | 7:53 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 8 h 36 min | 20° | 5:21 a.m. | 9:08 p.m. | 15 h 47 min | 67° |
| Summerside | 7:55 a.m. | 4:30 p.m. | 8 h 35 min | 20° | 5:23 a.m. | 9:11 p.m. | 15 h 48 min | 67° |
| Montague | 7:50 a.m. | 4:27 p.m. | 8 h 36 min | 20° | 5:19 a.m. | 9:05 p.m. | 15 h 46 min | 67° |
| Souris | 7:49 a.m. | 4:24 p.m. | 8 h 35 min | 20° | 5:17 a.m. | 9:04 p.m. | 15 h 48 min | 67° |
| Cavendish | 7:54 a.m. | 4:28 p.m. | 8 h 34 min | 20° | 5:20 a.m. | 9:09 p.m. | 15 h 49 min | 67° |
| Kensington | 7:55 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 8 h 34 min | 20° | 5:22 a.m. | 9:10 p.m. | 15 h 48 min | 67° |
| Alberton | 7:58 a.m. | 4:30 p.m. | 8 h 31 min | 20° | 5:22 a.m. | 9:13 p.m. | 15 h 52 min | 67° |
Newfoundland and Labrador
| City | Dec 21 sunrise | Dec 21 sunset | Dec 21 daylight | Dec 21 noon sun | Jun 21 sunrise | Jun 21 sunset | Jun 21 daylight | Jun 21 noon sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 7:46 a.m. | 4:11 p.m. | 8 h 25 min | 19° | 5:03 a.m. | 9:01 p.m. | 15 h 58 min | 66° |
| Mount Pearl | 7:46 a.m. | 4:12 p.m. | 8 h 26 min | 19° | 5:04 a.m. | 9:02 p.m. | 15 h 58 min | 66° |
| Paradise | 7:46 a.m. | 4:12 p.m. | 8 h 26 min | 19° | 5:04 a.m. | 9:02 p.m. | 15 h 58 min | 66° |
| Conception Bay South | 7:47 a.m. | 4:13 p.m. | 8 h 26 min | 19° | 5:05 a.m. | 9:02 p.m. | 15 h 58 min | 66° |
| Clarenville | 7:53 a.m. | 4:14 p.m. | 8 h 20 min | 18° | 5:05 a.m. | 9:09 p.m. | 16 h 4 min | 65° |
| Grand Falls-Windsor | 8:04 a.m. | 4:17 p.m. | 8 h 13 min | 18° | 5:08 a.m. | 9:20 p.m. | 16 h 11 min | 64° |
| Corner Brook | 8:13 a.m. | 4:26 p.m. | 8 h 13 min | 18° | 5:18 a.m. | 9:29 p.m. | 16 h 11 min | 64° |
| Happy Valley-Goose Bay | 8:15 a.m. | 3:44 p.m. | 7 h 30 min | 13° | 4:34 a.m. | 9:33 p.m. | 16 h 59 min | 60° |
| Labrador City | 8:38 a.m. | 4:12 p.m. | 7 h 34 min | 14° | 5:02 a.m. | 9:56 p.m. | 16 h 55 min | 61° |
| Deer Lake | 8:12 a.m. | 4:23 p.m. | 8 h 11 min | 17° | 5:14 a.m. | 9:28 p.m. | 16 h 13 min | 64° |
| Marystown | 7:54 a.m. | 4:22 p.m. | 8 h 28 min | 19° | 5:15 a.m. | 9:09 p.m. | 15 h 55 min | 66° |
Calculated by Atlantic Shades using the astral astronomical library for each community's latitude, longitude and time zone. Times are approximate (within a minute or two) and assume a flat horizon at sea level. Hills, buildings and trees will shorten real direct sunlight. You may cite this data with a link to this page.
How we use this when we measure
When we visit your home, we note which way each window faces. A south-facing window in Moncton gets low, direct winter sun for most of the short day. An east-facing bedroom in St. John's gets sun before 5:05 a.m. in June. A west-facing living room in Charlottetown takes the full evening sun until after 9 p.m. Each needs a different answer, and we would rather get it right than sell you the same fabric for every window.
Frequently asked questions
Why is winter sun glare so bad in Atlantic Canada?
Because the winter sun stays low. At noon on December 21 it is only about 17 to 23 degrees above the horizon across most of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland, and about 13 to 14 degrees in Labrador. Low sun shines straight across a room instead of down onto the floor, so it hits eyes and screens directly.
What time does the sun set in Halifax in December?
On December 21 the sun sets at about 4:36 p.m. in Halifax and rises at about 7:48 a.m., giving roughly 8 hours and 48 minutes of daylight. In June, sunset is at about 9:03 p.m.
Which Atlantic Canadian city has the shortest winter day?
Among the communities we serve, Happy Valley-Goose Bay has the shortest day, with about 7 hours and 30 minutes of daylight on December 21, followed closely by Labrador City. On the island of Newfoundland, Deer Lake, Corner Brook and Grand Falls-Windsor get just over 8 hours.
Which Atlantic Canadian city has the longest summer day?
Happy Valley-Goose Bay gets about 17 hours of daylight on June 21, and Labrador City is close behind with sunset near 10 p.m. That is why blackout window coverings are so important for sleep in Labrador.
What blinds are best for low winter sun glare?
Solar shades are usually the best choice. They are made from a woven screen fabric that cuts glare and heat while keeping the view. Choose the openness (how see-through the weave is) based on how much glare you have: 1% to 3% for strong direct sun, 5% for a balance of view and control.
Do I need blackout blinds in Atlantic Canada?
For bedrooms, usually yes. With sunrise before 5:30 a.m. and sunset after 9 p.m. in June across most of the region, light-filtering blinds let in enough light to wake children and light sleepers. True blackout fabric, mounted to cover the light gaps at the edges, makes the biggest difference.