Sunrise, sunset and golden hour, for any place and date
A golden hour calculator for any place and date: sunrise and sunset, golden and blue hour, day length and which way the sun will be. Below it, NOAA’s 3-day forecast for the northern lights.
Aurora forecast for the next three days
NOAA’s planetary Kp index in 3-hour blocks: measured so far today, then forecast. The higher the Kp, the farther from the poles the aurora can reach; storms start at Kp 5. Point at a bar for its time where you are.
Loading NOAA’s forecast…
How the golden hour calculator works
It’s the sun’s height, not the clock
Golden hour is when the sun is low: from 6° above the horizon to 4° below it. Near the equator it passes quickly; in the far north it can last for hours, or all day in midwinter.
Hills and buildings come first
The times are for a flat horizon. In a valley or a city the sun drops behind the skyline a little before the sunset time, and the light on high peaks lasts a little longer.
Look at the direction too
The compass shows where the sun rises and sets. With the sun behind you, the view in front is lit; facing it, you get silhouettes. Our light planner works this out for famous viewpoints, and When to Go gives the daylight month by month.
Questions
What time is golden hour today?
It depends on the place and the date, which is why the calculator asks for both. In mid-October at Tunnel View in Yosemite, for example, the evening golden hour starts 36 minutes before sunset and ends 16 minutes after it.
What is blue hour?
The twilight just after sunset and just before sunrise, when the sun is 4° to 6° below the horizon and the sky turns deep blue. It lasts about 10 minutes at mid-latitudes, longer in the far north.
Why is my weather app a minute different?
Apps round differently and use slightly different coordinates for a place. For golden and blue hour there is no single official definition, so different apps use different sun heights; ours are the 6°, −4° and −6° shown above.