Rockledge, FL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Rockledge
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:11 am and sets at 5:31 pm: 10h 21m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 13h 57m, so the swing is 3h 36m.
When it gets better in Rockledge
- Earliest sunset: 5:26 pm on Dec 1, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:16 am on Jan 10.
- Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
- By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.6 minutes a day.
Waking and coming home in the dark
With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 118 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 24. 9 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 28.3°N this sits between Sarasota FL (27°N, 1.4%) and Nashua NH (43°N, 9.7%) in a 1990 survey of winter depression by latitude.
What to do about it in Rockledge
- A sunrise alarm clock is worth considering if you get up at 7:00 am or earlier: 26 weekday mornings here are still properly dark at that hour, mostly between Aug 31 and Apr 12.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:11 am to 5:31 pm window on the shortest day does more than most people expect.
- If you head home at 5:30 pm, the sun has already set from Nov 16 to Dec 17: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 16.
Daylight in Rockledge, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 21m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 6:39 am | 8:20 pm | 13h 41m |
| August 2026 | 6:56 am | 7:56 pm | 13h 00m |
| September 2026 | 7:11 am | 7:21 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 7:27 am | 6:47 pm | 11h 20m |
| November 2026 | 6:50 am | 5:28 pm | 10h 38m |
| December 2026 | 7:11 am | 5:31 pm | 10h 21m |
| January 2027 | 7:15 am | 5:54 pm | 10h 39m |
| February 2027 | 6:56 am | 6:18 pm | 11h 22m |
| March 2027 | 7:26 am | 7:35 pm | 12h 09m |
| April 2027 | 6:52 am | 7:52 pm | 13h 00m |
| May 2027 | 6:30 am | 8:10 pm | 13h 40m |
| June 2027 | 6:26 am | 8:23 pm | 13h 57m |
Rockledge against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Rockledge (10h 21m, sunset 5:31 pm):
- Cocoa, FL, 4 mi away: 10h 20m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:31 pm (0 min).
- Cocoa Beach, FL, 7 mi away: 10h 21m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:31 pm (0 min).
- Cape Canaveral, FL, 9 mi away: 10h 20m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:31 pm (0 min).
- Satellite Beach, FL, 13 mi away: 10h 21m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:31 pm (0 min).
- Melbourne, FL, 15 mi away: 10h 22m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:32 pm (+1 min).