Golden Hour & Blue Hour Calculator
Find when the evening sun drops to a chosen golden-hour angle for any latitude and date. Photographers use this to plan outdoor shoots when warm, directional light is at its best.
Last updated: September 2026
Formula below · 1 source (Wikipedia) · Updated Sep 2026
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About this calculator
Golden hour occurs when the sun sits just above the horizon, typically within 6° of it, bathing scenes in warm, low-angle light. Blue hour follows just after sunset (or precedes sunrise) when the sun is between −4° and −6° below the horizon. The calculator finds the evening moment when the sun sinks to the chosen angle a above the horizon. The sun's declination is δ = 23.44° × sin(2π × (284 + dayOfYear) / 365), and the hour angle at which the sun stands at altitude a is H = arccos((sin a − sin(lat) × sin δ) / (cos(lat) × cos δ)). The result is 12 + H / 15, in hours of local solar time (12.00 = solar noon); the morning golden hour ends at the mirror time 12 − H / 15. Without your longitude the calculator cannot convert this to clock time exactly, so the time-zone setting does not change the result: on clock time, add about 4 minutes for every degree you are west of your time zone's central meridian (subtract for east), plus one hour for daylight saving time. Atmospheric refraction is ignored, so times can be a few minutes early. Latitude and day of year together determine how long and how intense each lighting window will be — locations near the poles enjoy extended golden hours in summer.
How to use
Suppose you're shooting in New York (latitude 40.7°) on day 180 (late June) with a sun angle of 6°. Declination ≈ 23.44 × sin(2π × 464/365) ≈ 23.2°. H = arccos((sin 6° − sin 40.7° × sin 23.2°) / (cos 40.7° × cos 23.2°)) ≈ 102.7°. Golden hour starts at 12 + 102.7 / 15 ≈ 18.84, about 6:51 PM solar time. New York sits 1° east of the 75°W meridian, and the equation of time adds about 3 minutes in late June, so on clock time that is about 6:50 PM EST, or 7:50 PM EDT in summer — about 40 minutes before the 8:31 PM sunset. Enter your own latitude, date, and target sun angle to compare.
Frequently asked questions
What sun angle should I use for golden hour photography?
Golden hour is generally defined as the period when the sun is between 0° and 6° above the horizon. For the warmest, most dramatic light, aim for sun angles between 1° and 4°. Blue hour occurs when the sun is between −4° and −6°, producing cool, even, twilight tones. Entering different sun angles lets you preview the full range of lighting transitions.
Why does golden hour last longer at higher latitudes?
At higher latitudes the sun travels along a shallower path relative to the horizon, so it takes longer to move through each degree of altitude. Near the equator the sun rises almost vertically, compressing golden hour to as little as 20–30 minutes. In Scandinavia or Alaska during summer, golden hour can stretch for over an hour. This calculator accounts for that effect through the latitude and day-of-year inputs.
How does day of year affect golden hour timing?
Day of year controls the sun's declination — its angular distance north or south of the equator. In summer the sun rises earlier and reaches a higher peak, shifting golden hour to the early morning and late afternoon. In winter the entire arc is lower and shorter, meaning golden hour occupies a larger fraction of the day. Plugging in different days lets you compare lighting windows across seasons before committing to a shoot date.