In the last stretch of daylight before sunset and the first after sunrise, while the Sun is low. There is no official definition; this page counts it from when the Sun drops below 10° above the horizon until sunset. In New York on June 21, 2027 that is 7:26–8:31 p.m..

How long is golden hour?

At 40° north, between 57 and 70 minutes over the year, longest around the December solstice. Near the equator the Sun drops steeply and it is shorter; far north in winter the Sun may never climb above 10°, and the whole short day is golden.

After sunset and before sunrise, while the Sun is 4° to 8° below the horizon. In New York on June 21, 2027 that is 8:51–9:18 p.m. in the evening and 4:38–5:05 a.m. in the morning.

Golden hour calculator

Golden hour has no official definition: it is the soft, low light just before sunset and just after sunrise. This page counts it from when the Sun drops below 10° above the horizon until sunset, and the blue hour as the Sun 4° to 8° below the horizon. In New York on June 21, 2027, golden hour is 7:26–8:31 p.m. and blue hour 8:51–9:18 p.m.. Below: a calculator for any place and date, and the evening hours month by month at 40° north.

Golden hour and blue hour for any place

Enter your latitude and longitude (west is negative), the time zone your clock is on that day, and a date. Times are by that clock.

Latitude (° north, south is negative)

Longitude (° east, west is negative)

Clock time zone on that day

Date

7:26–8:31 p.m.

evening golden hour

sunset 8:31 p.m.

evening blue hour 8:51–9:18 p.m.

morning blue hour 4:38–5:05 a.m.

sunrise 5:25 a.m.

morning golden hour 5:25–6:29 a.m.

The date starts at today; without JavaScript, the example above is New York on June 21, 2027. Clouds, hills and buildings are not counted: the light is what a clear, flat horizon would give.

How the times are worked out

Each boundary is a height of the Sun's center above or below the horizon. Sunset uses the usual 0.833° below, which covers the Sun's radius and the bending of light near the horizon; NOAA notes that this refraction cannot be predicted exactly. Golden hour starts at 10° above: Wikipedia describes the Sun an hour before sunset in Los Angeles at about 10–12°, and says that where the Sun never climbs above 10°, the golden hour lasts all day. The blue hour, which Wikipedia also says has no official definition, is when the Sun is between 4° and 8° below the horizon.

Evening golden and blue hour, month by month (40° north)

At 40° north the evening golden hour lasts 57 to 70 minutes, longest around the December solstice, when the Sun sets at its shallowest angle. Times are by the clock on your time zone's meridian, with daylight saving time from March to early November.

Evening golden hour (Sun below 10° until sunset) and blue hour (4° to 8° below), 40° north (2027, 15th of each month)
Month	Golden hour, p.m.	Blue hour, p.m.
January	3:52–4:59	5:17–5:40
February	4:35–5:36	5:53–6:14
March	6:10–7:07	7:23–7:44
April	6:41–7:38	7:55–8:18
May	7:08–8:08	8:27–8:51
June	7:27–8:31	8:50–9:17
July	7:26–8:28	8:47–9:13
August	6:58–7:57	8:15–8:37
September	6:12–7:09	7:26–7:47
October	5:22–6:21	6:37–6:58
November	3:39–4:44	5:02–5:24
December	3:25–4:36	4:54–5:18

Why it is not always an hour

The Sun crosses those ten degrees faster where it sets steeply, near the equator, and slower where it sets at a slant, far from it. In Fairbanks, Alaska, on December 21, 2027, the Sun never gets as high as 10°: the whole day from sunrise at 10:58 a.m. to sunset at 2:40 p.m. is golden.

Where Angel Step fits

Angel Step reads only your step count from Apple Health and shows it as one number on a living sky. It does not work out sunsets; that is this page's job. Golden hour is a good time for a walk: the light is soft and low.

Sources

Wikipedia — Golden hour (photography): the Sun about 10–12° up an hour before sunset in Los Angeles; where it never climbs above 10°, golden hour lasts all day. Wikipedia
Wikipedia — Blue hour: no official definition; the Sun between 4° and 8° below the horizon. Wikipedia
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory — solar calculator glossary: atmospheric refraction at sunrise and sunset. NOAA
15 U.S.C. § 260a — daylight saving time, used for the clock times. Cornell LII

Updated 13 October 2026