Golden Hour Planner
Find local sunrise, sunset, golden hour, solar noon, and daylight duration for a city and date.
Golden Hour Planner
Find local sunrise, sunset, golden hour, solar noon, and daylight duration for a city and date.
About the golden hour planner
How the solar times are calculated
The planner combines the selected city's latitude and longitude with the chosen local calendar date to estimate the Sun's position. Sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and the points where the Sun reaches the golden-hour threshold are converted to the city's local time, including the time-zone rules that apply on that date.
Reading the interactive timeline
The timeline divides the local day into night, morning golden hour, daylight, and evening golden hour. Drag the time control to inspect a specific moment. Event cards list sunrise, the end of morning golden hour, solar noon, the start of evening golden hour, sunset, and total day length.
Estimation range and limits
Dates from 1900 through 2100 are supported. Results are astronomical estimates and do not include clouds, fog, air quality, mountains, buildings, elevation, or the visible horizon. At high latitudes, the selected date may have polar day or polar night instead of ordinary sunrise and sunset events.
FAQ
Common questions and answers about this topic.
How are sunrise, sunset, and golden hour calculated?
The calculation uses the selected city's coordinates and local date to estimate the Sun's path. It finds sunrise and sunset at the standard horizon threshold, solar noon at the Sun's daily high point, and golden-hour boundaries near the period when the Sun is between the horizon and about 6° above it. Results are then shown in the city's local time.
Why is golden hour not always exactly 60 minutes?
Golden hour is defined by the Sun's angle, not by a fixed one-hour timer. How quickly the Sun crosses that angle changes with latitude and season, so the morning and evening windows can be shorter or longer than 60 minutes and can differ from each other.
What happens during polar day or polar night?
Near the poles, the Sun may stay above or below the horizon for the entire local date. When that happens, the planner shows a polar-day or polar-night result instead of inventing sunrise and sunset times, while still showing the estimated solar noon when available.
Does the planner account for weather or the local horizon?
No. It estimates astronomical times from coordinates and date only. Clouds, fog, haze, air quality, mountains, buildings, elevation, and an obstructed horizon can change when the Sun or warm light is actually visible, so check local conditions before planning photography or outdoor activities.
How does daylight saving time affect the result?
The solar event itself is based on the city's coordinates and date, while its displayed clock time follows the city's time-zone rules for that date. If daylight saving time starts or ends, the local clock labels can shift even though the Sun's physical path remains continuous.
What information is included in a shared link?
The link includes the selected city, date, and the time chosen with the timeline control. Opening it restores the same planning view so someone else can inspect the same part of the local day. It does not include weather conditions or a live location.