Next usable light
Helsinki
7:43 PM – 9:08 PM
Solar noonDaytime39.6° · 180° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Europe · HelsinkiMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:37 AM – 7:02 AM1 hr 25 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:19 AM – 5:37 AM19 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:43 PM – 9:08 PM1 hr 25 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 9:08 PM – 9:26 PM19 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:05 AM
- Sunset
- 8:40 PM
- Day length
- 14 hr 34 min
- Solar noon
- 1:23 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 40° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 292° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Helsinki
Plan around the season: Helsinki's sampled golden window stretches to 2 hr 45 min in December and compresses to 1 hr 21 min by March. Sunset moves 105° along the horizon between December (220° SW) and June (325° NW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. Day length spans 5 hr 53 min in December to 18 hr 52 min in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:10 AM | 3:50 PM | 6 hr 39 min | 2:13 PM · 2 hr 10 min | 226° SW |
| February | 8:01 AM | 5:10 PM | 9 hr 9 min | 4:05 PM · 1 hr 32 min | 246° WSW |
| March | 6:39 AM | 6:21 PM | 11 hr 42 min | 5:26 PM · 1 hr 21 min | 267° W |
| April | 6:05 AM | 8:37 PM | 14 hr 33 min | 7:40 PM · 1 hr 25 min | 292° WNW |
| May | 4:43 AM | 9:52 PM | 17 hr 9 min | 8:45 PM · 1 hr 44 min | 313° NW |
| June | 3:55 AM | 10:48 PM | 18 hr 52 min | 9:27 PM · 2 hr 13 min | 325° NW |
| July | 4:22 AM | 10:31 PM | 18 hr 9 min | 9:17 PM · 1 hr 58 min | 320° NW |
| August | 5:34 AM | 9:18 PM | 15 hr 44 min | 8:17 PM · 1 hr 31 min | 301° WNW |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:45 PM | 12 hr 57 min | 6:50 PM · 1 hr 21 min | 278° W |
| October | 8:00 AM | 6:14 PM | 10 hr 14 min | 5:14 PM · 1 hr 26 min | 255° WSW |
| November | 8:19 AM | 3:52 PM | 7 hr 33 min | 2:32 PM · 1 hr 51 min | 233° SW |
| December | 9:20 AM | 3:13 PM | 5 hr 53 min | 1:04 PM · 2 hr 45 min | 220° SW |
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 ~6 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow Europe · Helsinki, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 2:48 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 4:17 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:19 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:37 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:05 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:23 PM |
| Sunset | 8:40 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:43 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 9:08 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 10:29 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 11:57 PM |
Seven local days in Helsinki
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:37 AM – 7:02 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:40 PM | 7:43 PM – 9:08 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:40 AM – 7:05 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:37 PM | 7:40 PM – 9:05 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:42 AM – 7:07 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:34 PM | 7:37 PM – 9:02 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:45 AM – 7:09 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:31 PM | 7:34 PM – 8:58 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:48 AM – 7:11 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:28 PM | 7:31 PM – 8:55 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:50 AM – 7:14 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:25 PM | 7:29 PM – 8:52 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:53 AM – 7:16 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:22 PM | 7:26 PM – 8:49 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Helsinki 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 292° 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 Helsinki, the evening golden hour window runs 1 hr 25 min on the selected date and approaches from 292° 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 Helsinki
- When is golden hour in Helsinki?
- Start with the sun angle in Helsinki: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 81 minutes in March and 165 minutes in December. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.
- Which direction does the sun set in Helsinki?
- Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 220° SW in December versus 325° NW in June in Helsinki. That 105° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
- How much does day length change in Helsinki?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Helsinki: 5 hr 53 min of daylight in December versus 18 hr 52 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Helsinki 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 Helsinki's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a December golden window (2 hr 45 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.