Next usable light
Cusco
5:16 PM – 5:57 PM
Solar noonDaytime66.8° · 359° N
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · LimaMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:43 AM – 6:25 AM42 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:35 AM – 5:43 AM8 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 5:16 PM – 5:57 PM42 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:57 PM – 6:06 PM8 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 5:56 AM
- Sunset
- 5:44 PM
- Day length
- 11 hr 48 min
- Solar noon
- 11:50 AM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 67° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 280° W.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Cusco
Plan around the season: Cusco's sampled golden window stretches to 45 min in June and compresses to 41 min by March. Sunset moves 48° along the horizon between December (246° WSW) and June (294° WNW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. Day length spans 11 hr 20 min in June to 12 hr 55 min in December.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5:33 AM | 6:23 PM | 12 hr 50 min | 5:53 PM · 44 min | 248° WSW |
| February | 5:47 AM | 6:19 PM | 12 hr 32 min | 5:50 PM · 42 min | 257° WSW |
| March | 5:52 AM | 6:03 PM | 12 hr 11 min | 5:35 PM · 41 min | 268° W |
| April | 5:55 AM | 5:42 PM | 11 hr 48 min | 5:14 PM · 42 min | 280° W |
| May | 6:00 AM | 5:30 PM | 11 hr 30 min | 5:00 PM · 44 min | 289° WNW |
| June | 6:09 AM | 5:29 PM | 11 hr 20 min | 4:58 PM · 45 min | 294° WNW |
| July | 6:12 AM | 5:36 PM | 11 hr 24 min | 5:06 PM · 45 min | 292° WNW |
| August | 6:04 AM | 5:43 PM | 11 hr 39 min | 5:14 PM · 43 min | 284° WNW |
| September | 5:44 AM | 5:45 PM | 12 hr 1 min | 5:16 PM · 41 min | 273° W |
| October | 5:23 AM | 5:46 PM | 12 hr 23 min | 5:18 PM · 42 min | 261° W |
| November | 5:11 AM | 5:55 PM | 12 hr 44 min | 5:26 PM · 43 min | 251° WSW |
| December | 5:16 AM | 6:11 PM | 12 hr 55 min | 5:41 PM · 45 min | 246° 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 ~1 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · Lima, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:45 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:10 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:35 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:43 AM |
| Sunrise | 5:56 AM |
| Solar noon | 11:50 AM |
| Sunset | 5:44 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 5:16 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 5:57 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 6:31 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 6:56 PM |
Seven local days in Cusco
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:43 AM – 6:25 AM | 5:56 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:42 AM – 6:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:42 AM – 6:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:41 AM – 6:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:58 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:40 AM – 6:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:58 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:40 AM – 6:21 AM | 5:53 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:58 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:39 AM – 6:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:16 PM – 5:58 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Cusco 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 280° W; 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 Cusco, the evening golden hour window runs 42 min on the selected date and approaches from 280° W. 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 Cusco
- When is golden hour in Cusco?
- Start with the sun angle in Cusco: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 41 minutes in March and 45 minutes in June. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.
- Which direction does the sun set in Cusco?
- In Cusco it depends on the month: 246° WSW in December, moving to 294° WNW by June — a 48° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Cusco?
- Cusco's swing is 1 hr 35 min: June bottoms out around 11 hr 20 min of daylight while December peaks near 12 hr 55 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Cusco 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 June shoot in Cusco? Budget 45 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.