Golden Hour Calculator
Golden Hour Calculator
Find perfect photography light for any city & date
How to Use This Calculator
Select Your City
Choose your shooting location from the city list. Results are calculated for that city's latitude and longitude.
Pick Your Date
Select the month and day. Golden hour shifts throughout the year — plan ahead for the best light.
Plan Your Shoot
Use the morning/evening golden hour windows to time your arrival. Arrive 15 minutes early to set up before the light peaks.
How We Calculate Golden Hour Times
Golden hour times are calculated using the NOAA Solar Calculator algorithm, which uses the solar declination angle and hour angle formula to determine precise sunrise and sunset times for any latitude and longitude.
The golden hour begins approximately 1 hour before sunset (evening) or ends 1 hour after sunrise (morning) when the sun is between 0° and 6° above the horizon. At this angle, sunlight travels through more atmosphere, producing the warm, diffused, low-contrast light beloved by photographers.
Blue hour occurs when the sun is between 4° and 6° below the horizon, producing the deep blue twilight favored for architectural and urban photography. Times shown reflect local solar time adjusted for timezone.
Sources & References
- NOAA Solar Calculator (esrl.noaa.gov)
- Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus (Willmann-Bell, 1991)
- U.S. Naval Observatory Solar Position Data
Data last verified:
Frequently Asked Questions
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