Next usable light
Chicago
6:55 PM – 7:50 PM
Solar noonDaytime57.8° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · ChicagoMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:55 AM – 6:50 AM55 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:44 AM – 5:55 AM11 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:55 PM – 7:50 PM55 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:50 PM – 8:02 PM11 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:13 AM
- Sunset
- 7:33 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 20 min
- Solar noon
- 12:53 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 58° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 284° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Chicago
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.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:33 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:09 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:44 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:55 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:13 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:53 PM |
| Sunset | 7:33 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:55 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:50 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:36 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:13 PM |
Seven local days in Chicago
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:55 AM – 6:50 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:33 PM | 6:55 PM – 7:50 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:56 AM – 6:51 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:31 PM | 6:54 PM – 7:49 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:57 AM – 6:52 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:29 PM | 6:52 PM – 7:47 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:59 AM – 6:53 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:28 PM | 6:50 PM – 7:45 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:00 AM – 6:54 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:26 PM | 6:49 PM – 7:43 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:01 AM – 6:55 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:24 PM | 6:47 PM – 7:42 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:02 AM – 6:56 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:23 PM | 6:46 PM – 7:40 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Chicago 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 284° 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 Chicago, the evening golden hour window runs 55 min on the selected date and approaches from 284° 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 Chicago
- When is golden hour in Chicago?
- Whenever the sun is between +6° above and −4° below the horizon — a band that wraps around both sunrise and sunset. For Chicago, the representative monthly window is 54 minutes in March and 64 minutes in December; separate morning and evening crossings merge or wrap overnight near the poles. Pick a date above for the minute-exact times.
- Which direction does the sun set in Chicago?
- There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 64° along Chicago's horizon, between 239° WSW (December) and 303° WNW (June). The month table above lists the bearing for each month, and the sun-path panel computes it per date.
- How much does day length change in Chicago?
- In Chicago, between 9 hr 9 min (December) and 15 hr 12 min (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.
- Does Chicago get blue hour right after golden hour?
- Always — the two are one continuous descent of the sun. Gold runs while the sun sits between +6° and −4° of Chicago's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a December golden window (1 hr 4 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.