Next usable light
Anchorage
8:25 PM – 9:54 PM
Solar noonDaytime38.8° · 180° S
Light windows
Thu, Aug 27 · America · AnchorageMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:11 AM – 7:39 AM1 hr 29 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:51 AM – 6:11 AM19 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 8:25 PM – 9:54 PM1 hr 29 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 9:54 PM – 10:13 PM19 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:40 AM
- Sunset
- 9:24 PM
- Day length
- 14 hr 44 min
- Solar noon
- 2:02 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 39° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 293° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Anchorage
December is the generous sample in Anchorage — 6 hr 50 min of golden light — while March tightens the window to about 1 hr 24 min. Between December and June the sunset point migrates 110° — from 218° SW to 328° NNW — which is enough to put a fixed foreground in or out of the light depending on the season. June days run 19 hr 19 min; by December they shrink to 5 hr 31 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:58 AM | 4:22 PM | 6 hr 24 min | 2:33 PM · 2 hr 24 min | 224° SW |
| February | 8:43 AM | 5:46 PM | 9 hr 4 min | 4:39 PM · 1 hr 36 min | 245° WSW |
| March | 8:17 AM | 8:01 PM | 11 hr 44 min | 7:04 PM · 1 hr 24 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:39 AM | 9:21 PM | 14 hr 42 min | 8:22 PM · 1 hr 28 min | 293° WNW |
| May | 5:13 AM | 10:41 PM | 17 hr 28 min | 9:30 PM · 1 hr 51 min | 315° NW |
| June | 4:22 AM | 11:40 PM | 19 hr 19 min | 10:14 PM · 2 hr 29 min | 328° NNW |
| July | 4:52 AM | 11:20 PM | 18 hr 28 min | 10:02 PM · 2 hr 7 min | 322° NW |
| August | 6:09 AM | 10:01 PM | 15 hr 52 min | 8:58 PM · 1 hr 35 min | 302° WNW |
| September | 7:27 AM | 8:24 PM | 12 hr 57 min | 7:27 PM · 1 hr 24 min | 278° W |
| October | 8:43 AM | 6:49 PM | 10 hr 7 min | 5:47 PM · 1 hr 29 min | 254° WSW |
| November | 9:07 AM | 4:24 PM | 7 hr 17 min | 2:57 PM · 1 hr 59 min | 231° SW |
| December | 10:10 AM | 3:41 PM | 5 hr 31 min | Merged · 9:31 AM · 6 hr 50 min | 218° SW |
Find the months when sunset faces your spot
Pick the direction your subject faces the sky. Months whose sunset lands within ±10° light up in the table above. Disabled shortcuts have no matching row in this visible mid-month sample.
Each row samples the 15th of the month at these coordinates, so dates near a month boundary can differ from the printed row — around here day length moves up to ~6 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · Anchorage, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 2:57 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 4:45 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:51 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:11 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:40 AM |
| Solar noon | 2:02 PM |
| Sunset | 9:24 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 8:25 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 9:54 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 11:19 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 1:08 AM (next day) |
Seven local days in Anchorage
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Aug 27 | 6:11 AM – 7:39 AM | 6:40 AM | 9:24 PM | 8:25 PM – 9:54 PM |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:13 AM – 7:42 AM | 6:43 AM | 9:21 PM | 8:22 PM – 9:50 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:16 AM – 7:44 AM | 6:45 AM | 9:18 PM | 8:19 PM – 9:47 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:19 AM – 7:46 AM | 6:48 AM | 9:15 PM | 8:16 PM – 9:44 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:22 AM – 7:49 AM | 6:50 AM | 9:12 PM | 8:13 PM – 9:40 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:24 AM – 7:51 AM | 6:53 AM | 9:09 PM | 8:10 PM – 9:37 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:27 AM – 7:53 AM | 6:55 AM | 9:05 PM | 8:07 PM – 9:34 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Anchorage is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
The list supplies map-search starting points, not ranked recommendations. Confirm access, closures, permits, safety, and horizon obstructions yourself before setting out. For the selected date, the mathematical sunset bearing is 293° WNW. If the composition faces differently, use the bearing planner in the month table above to identify sampled months; the result remains a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Anchorage, the evening golden hour window runs 1 hr 29 min on the selected date and approaches from 293° WNW. Arrive 15 minutes before its start when that window occurs, then choose a position with an open view toward that bearing. Don't rely on the generic “one hour before sunset” rule here — the real window shifts with the season, so check the computed times for your date.
See the calculation method and limits before relying on the estimate in terrain-sensitive or safety-critical conditions.
Common questions
Golden hour FAQ for Anchorage
- When is golden hour in Anchorage?
- Anchorage has no fixed golden-hour clock time. The usable band begins at +6° and continues through −4°, enclosing sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening; its representative monthly duration is 84 minutes in March and 410 minutes in December. Use the date control above for the exact boundaries of the day you will shoot.
- Which direction does the sun set in Anchorage?
- In Anchorage it depends on the month: 218° SW in December, moving to 328° NNW by June — a 110° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Anchorage?
- In Anchorage, between 5 hr 31 min (December) and 19 hr 19 min (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.
- Does Anchorage get blue hour right after golden hour?
- Yes, with no gap: blue hour is simply the next slice of the same sunset, defined by the sun dropping from −4° to −6° after the golden band (+6° to −4°) closes. Planning a December shoot in Anchorage? Budget 6 hr 50 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.