Next usable light
Bar Harbor
6:39 PM – 7:37 PM
Solar noonDaytime55.3° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · New YorkMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:33 AM – 6:31 AM57 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:21 AM – 5:33 AM12 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:39 PM – 7:37 PM57 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:37 PM – 7:49 PM12 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 5:52 AM
- Sunset
- 7:18 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 27 min
- Solar noon
- 12:35 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 55° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 285° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Bar Harbor
The sampled golden window in Bar Harbor is not one number — it spans 56 min (March) to 1 hr 8 min (December) over the year. Between December and June the sunset point migrates 67° — from 238° WSW to 305° NW — which is enough to put a fixed foreground in or out of the light depending on the season. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 8 hr 52 min to 15 hr 31 min, dragging every window with it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:06 AM | 4:19 PM | 9 hr 13 min | 3:33 PM · 1 hr 6 min | 241° WSW |
| February | 6:34 AM | 5:02 PM | 10 hr 28 min | 4:21 PM · 59 min | 253° WSW |
| March | 6:46 AM | 6:39 PM | 11 hr 53 min | 6:01 PM · 56 min | 268° W |
| April | 5:50 AM | 7:17 PM | 13 hr 27 min | 6:38 PM · 57 min | 285° WNW |
| May | 5:07 AM | 7:54 PM | 14 hr 47 min | 7:12 PM · 1 hr 2 min | 298° WNW |
| June | 4:49 AM | 8:20 PM | 15 hr 31 min | 7:35 PM · 1 hr 7 min | 305° NW |
| July | 5:03 AM | 8:16 PM | 15 hr 13 min | 7:32 PM · 1 hr 5 min | 302° WNW |
| August | 5:37 AM | 7:40 PM | 14 hr 3 min | 7:00 PM · 59 min | 291° WNW |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:45 PM | 12 hr 33 min | 6:07 PM · 56 min | 275° W |
| October | 6:48 AM | 5:50 PM | 11 hr 2 min | 5:11 PM · 58 min | 259° W |
| November | 6:30 AM | 4:07 PM | 9 hr 38 min | 3:23 PM · 1 hr 3 min | 245° WSW |
| December | 7:03 AM | 3:55 PM | 8 hr 52 min | 3:07 PM · 1 hr 8 min | 238° WSW |
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 ~3 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · New York, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:06 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 4:45 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:21 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:33 AM |
| Sunrise | 5:52 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:35 PM |
| Sunset | 7:18 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:39 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:37 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:25 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:04 PM |
Seven local days in Bar Harbor
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:33 AM – 6:31 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:18 PM | 6:39 PM – 7:37 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:35 AM – 6:32 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:17 PM | 6:38 PM – 7:35 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:36 AM – 6:33 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:15 PM | 6:36 PM – 7:33 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:37 AM – 6:34 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:13 PM | 6:34 PM – 7:31 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:38 AM – 6:35 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:11 PM | 6:33 PM – 7:30 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:39 AM – 6:36 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:10 PM | 6:31 PM – 7:28 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:41 AM – 6:37 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:08 PM | 6:29 PM – 7:26 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Bar Harbor is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
They are map-search starting points, not ranked recommendations; current access, closures, permits, safety, and unobstructed views have not been verified. The selected-date sunset bearing is 285° WNW; if a composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to find sampled months that align. This mathematical bearing is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Bar Harbor, the evening golden hour window runs 57 min on the selected date and approaches from 285° 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 Bar Harbor
- When is golden hour in Bar Harbor?
- Twice a day on most dates: a morning window that contains sunrise and an evening window that contains sunset, defined by the sun sitting between +6° and −4° of the horizon. In Bar Harbor the representative monthly window is 56 minutes in March and 68 minutes in December. The light-windows panel above gives the exact start and end for any date.
- Which direction does the sun set in Bar Harbor?
- In Bar Harbor it depends on the month: 238° WSW in December, moving to 305° NW by June — a 67° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Bar Harbor?
- Bar Harbor's swing is 6 hr 39 min: December bottoms out around 8 hr 52 min of daylight while June peaks near 15 hr 31 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Bar Harbor 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 Bar Harbor? Budget 1 hr 8 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.