Next usable light
5:17 PM – 6:13 PM
Solar noonDaytime36.0° · 180° S
Chicago, Illinois · Sun, Oct 25
Evening golden hour · 5:17 PM – 6:13 PM
Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.
https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/chicago-il/?date=2026-10-25
Morning
Evening
Where to point the camera
On this selected date, the sun reaches 36° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 254° WSW.
Pick the month before the day
Chicago's sampled golden window runs from about 54 min in March to 1 hr 4 min in December. Sunset moves 64° along the horizon between December (239° WSW) and June (303° WNW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 9 hr 9 min to 15 hr 12 min, dragging every window with it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:16 AM | 4:45 PM | 9 hr 28 min | 4:01 PM · 1 hr 2 min | 242° WSW |
| February | 6:47 AM | 5:24 PM | 10 hr 37 min | 4:45 PM · 57 min | 254° WSW |
| March | 7:03 AM | 6:57 PM | 11 hr 54 min | 6:20 PM · 54 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:11 AM | 7:31 PM | 13 hr 20 min | 6:54 PM · 55 min | 284° WNW |
| May | 5:31 AM | 8:04 PM | 14 hr 33 min | 7:24 PM · 59 min | 297° WNW |
| June | 5:16 AM | 8:28 PM | 15 hr 12 min | 7:46 PM · 1 hr 3 min | 303° WNW |
| July | 5:29 AM | 8:25 PM | 14 hr 56 min | 7:44 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 300° WNW |
| August | 5:59 AM | 7:52 PM | 13 hr 53 min | 7:14 PM · 57 min | 290° WNW |
| September | 6:31 AM | 7:02 PM | 12 hr 30 min | 6:25 PM · 54 min | 275° W |
| October | 7:03 AM | 6:11 PM | 11 hr 7 min | 5:33 PM · 55 min | 259° W |
| November | 6:41 AM | 4:31 PM | 9 hr 50 min | 3:50 PM · 1 hr | 246° WSW |
| December | 7:12 AM | 4:21 PM | 9 hr 9 min | 3:36 PM · 1 hr 4 min | 239° 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 · Chicago, including any daylight-saving change.
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:42 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 6:14 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:47 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:57 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:15 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:35 PM |
| Sunset | 5:56 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 5:17 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 6:13 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 6:57 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 7:29 PM |
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 | 6:57 AM – 7:54 AM | 7:15 AM | 5:56 PM | 5:17 PM – 6:13 PM |
| Mon, Oct 26 | 6:59 AM – 7:55 AM | 7:16 AM | 5:54 PM | 5:15 PM – 6:12 PM |
| Tue, Oct 27 | 7:00 AM – 7:56 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:53 PM | 5:14 PM – 6:10 PM |
| Wed, Oct 28 | 7:01 AM – 7:58 AM | 7:19 AM | 5:51 PM | 5:12 PM – 6:09 PM |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 7:02 AM – 7:59 AM | 7:20 AM | 5:50 PM | 5:11 PM – 6:08 PM |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 7:03 AM – 8:00 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:49 PM | 5:09 PM – 6:06 PM |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 7:05 AM – 8:02 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:47 PM | 5:08 PM – 6:05 PM |
The moon over Chicago is a Full Moon, 99% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
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 254° WSW. 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.
In Chicago, the evening golden hour window runs 56 min on the selected date and approaches from 254° WSW. 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