Tool
When is the golden hour today?
Golden hour and blue hour times for your location and any date — the light photographers plan around.
Showing London as an example — use your location for local times.
Morning golden hour
05:26 – 06:15
Warm, soft light just after sunrise
Evening golden hour
20:00 – 20:49
Warm, soft light before sunset
Morning blue hour
04:46 – 05:26
Cool, even light before sunrise
Evening blue hour
20:49 – 21:29
Cool, even light after sunset
Planning around the light
Photographers, filmmakers and anyone chasing a good photo plan around two windows each day. The golden hour delivers warm, directional light with long soft shadows, ideal for portraits and landscapes; the blue hour, on the twilight side of sunrise and sunset, gives a cool, even glow that suits cityscapes and long exposures. Both shift with your latitude and the season — short near the equator, long towards the poles. For the plain sunrise and sunset times behind these windows, see the sunrise & sunset tool.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the golden hour today?
- The golden hour is the stretch of warm, low-angle sunlight just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the sun sits between the horizon and about 6° above it. Tap "Use my location" and this page gives you both golden-hour windows for today in your local time; until then it shows London as an example.
- When exactly does golden hour start and end?
- This tool marks golden hour from sunrise up to when the sun reaches 6° elevation in the morning, and from 6° back down to sunset in the evening. Its length depends on your latitude and the date — it lasts only a few minutes near the equator but can stretch for over an hour at high latitudes.
- What is the blue hour?
- The blue hour is the period of cool, diffuse twilight before sunrise and after sunset, while the sun is between the horizon and roughly 6° below it. The light is soft and even, with deep blue tones — a favourite for cityscapes and long exposures. This page shows both blue-hour windows alongside the golden hours.
- How is golden hour calculated?
- From the sun's elevation for your latitude, longitude and date, using the standard astronomical algorithm (Meeus). The boundaries are the moments the sun crosses the horizon (sunrise/sunset) and 6° elevation, so the times are specific to your exact spot on Earth.