When is golden hour in Columbus?

Start with the sun angle in Columbus: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 52 minutes in March and 62 minutes in December. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.

Which direction does the sun set in Columbus?

There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 62° along Columbus's horizon, between 240° WSW (December) and 302° 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 Columbus?

In Columbus, between 9 hr 21 min (December) and 15 hr (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.

Does Columbus 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 Columbus's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a December golden window (1 hr 2 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.

Next usable light

Sun, Oct 25

Columbus

Evening golden hour

6:02 PM – 6:57 PM

night12:00 AMblue hour7:30 AMgolden hour7:40 AMdaylight1:17 PMgolden hour6:10 PMblue hour7:00 PMnight12:00 AM000306091215182124

Solar noonDaytime37.9° · 180° S

Take this plan with you

GoldenHourly field brief

Columbus, Ohio · Sun, Oct 25

Evening golden hour · 6:02 PM – 6:57 PM

sunrisesolar noonsunset

Arrive by: 5:47 PM
Duration: 55 min
Direction: 249° WSW
Azimuth: 249°→258°
Sunrise: 7:54 AM
Sunset: 6:40 PM

Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.

https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/columbus-oh/?date=2026-10-25

Printed when prepared in your browser

Planning estimate. Calculated in your browser from fixed city coordinates and solar-altitude thresholds. Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included. Method & limits →

View the detailed light plan →

Light windows

Sun, Oct 25 · America · New York

Morning

Golden hour: 7:37 AM – 8:31 AM55 min of warm light
Blue hour: 7:26 AM – 7:37 AM11 min of deep blue twilight

Evening

Golden hour: 6:02 PM – 6:57 PM55 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:57 PM – 7:07 PM11 min of deep blue twilight

Sunrise: 7:54 AM
Sunset: 6:40 PM
Day length: 10 hr 46 min
Solar noon: 1:17 PM

Where to point the camera

Solar path and bearing

Sunrise direction105° ESE

Sunset direction255° WSW

Sun's highest point38°

Day length vs yesterday−2 min

On this selected date, the sun reaches 38° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 255° WSW.

Pick the month before the day

Light through 2026 in Columbus

Plan around the season: Columbus's sampled golden window stretches to 1 hr 2 min in December and compresses to 52 min by March. Where to stand changes with the calendar: 240° WSW in December swings to 302° WNW by June, 62° of horizon between them. June days run 15 hr; by December they shrink to 9 hr 21 min.

Monthlocal day · 00–24

Exact monthly readings

Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Golden window sample	Sunset bearing
January	7:53 AM	5:31 PM	9 hr 39 min	4:50 PM · 1 hr	243° WSW
February	7:26 AM	6:08 PM	10 hr 42 min	5:31 PM · 55 min	254° WSW
March	7:44 AM	7:39 PM	11 hr 55 min	7:03 PM · 52 min	268° W
April	6:55 AM	8:10 PM	13 hr 15 min	7:34 PM · 53 min	284° WNW
May	6:18 AM	8:41 PM	14 hr 23 min	8:02 PM · 57 min	296° WNW
June	6:04 AM	9:03 PM	15 hr	8:22 PM · 1 hr	302° WNW
July	6:16 AM	9:01 PM	14 hr 44 min	8:21 PM · 59 min	299° WNW
August	6:44 AM	8:30 PM	13 hr 46 min	7:53 PM · 55 min	289° WNW
September	7:14 AM	7:43 PM	12 hr 29 min	7:07 PM · 52 min	275° W
October	7:43 AM	6:54 PM	11 hr 11 min	6:17 PM · 53 min	260° W
November	7:18 AM	5:17 PM	9 hr 59 min	4:37 PM · 58 min	246° WSW
December	7:47 AM	5:09 PM	9 hr 21 min	4:26 PM · 1 hr 2 min	240° 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	6:23 AM
Nautical dawn	6:54 AM
Blue hour (morning)	7:26 AM
Golden hour (morning)	7:37 AM
Sunrise	7:54 AM
Solar noon	1:17 PM
Sunset	6:40 PM
Golden hour (evening)	6:02 PM
Blue hour (evening)	6:57 PM
Nautical dusk	7:39 PM
Astronomical dusk	8:10 PM

Seven local days in Columbus

The week ahead

Date	Morning golden	Sunrise	Sunset	Evening golden
Sun, Oct 25	7:37 AM – 8:31 AM	7:54 AM	6:40 PM	6:02 PM – 6:57 PM
Mon, Oct 26	7:38 AM – 8:32 AM	7:55 AM	6:38 PM	6:01 PM – 6:56 PM
Tue, Oct 27	7:39 AM – 8:34 AM	7:56 AM	6:37 PM	5:59 PM – 6:54 PM
Wed, Oct 28	7:40 AM – 8:35 AM	7:57 AM	6:36 PM	5:58 PM – 6:53 PM
Thu, Oct 29	7:41 AM – 8:36 AM	7:58 AM	6:35 PM	5:57 PM – 6:52 PM
Fri, Oct 30	7:42 AM – 8:37 AM	7:59 AM	6:33 PM	5:55 PM – 6:51 PM
Sat, Oct 31	7:43 AM – 8:39 AM	8:00 AM	6:32 PM	5:54 PM – 6:49 PM

Moon and candidate vantage points

Context to verify

Moon on the selected date

The moon over Columbus is a Full Moon, 99% 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 255° WSW; 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 Columbus, the evening golden hour window runs 55 min on the selected date and approaches from 255° 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

Golden hour FAQ for Columbus

When is golden hour in Columbus?: Start with the sun angle in Columbus: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 52 minutes in March and 62 minutes in December. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.
Which direction does the sun set in Columbus?: There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 62° along Columbus's horizon, between 240° WSW (December) and 302° 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 Columbus?: In Columbus, between 9 hr 21 min (December) and 15 hr (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.
Does Columbus 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 Columbus's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a December golden window (1 hr 2 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.

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