When is golden hour in Honolulu?

Honolulu has no fixed golden-hour clock time. The usable band begins at +6° and continues through −4°, enclosing sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening; its representative monthly duration is 43 minutes in March and 48 minutes in December. Use the date control above for the exact boundaries of the day you will shoot.

Which direction does the sun set in Honolulu?

Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 245° WSW in December versus 296° WNW in June in Honolulu. That 51° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.

How much does day length change in Honolulu?

Honolulu's swing is 2 hr 34 min: December bottoms out around 10 hr 51 min of daylight while June peaks near 13 hr 25 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.

Does Honolulu 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 December shoot in Honolulu? Budget 48 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.

Next usable light

Sun, Oct 25

Honolulu

Evening golden hour

5:30 PM – 6:14 PM

night12:00 AMblue hour6:10 AMgolden hour6:20 AMdaylight12:16 PMgolden hour5:30 PMblue hour6:20 PMnight12:00 AM000306091215182124

Solar noonDaytime56.5° · 180° S

Take this plan with you

GoldenHourly field brief

Honolulu, Hawaii · Sun, Oct 25

Evening golden hour · 5:30 PM – 6:14 PM

sunrisesolar noonsunset

Arrive by: 5:15 PM
Duration: 44 min
Direction: 254° WSW
Azimuth: 254°→258°
Sunrise: 6:32 AM
Sunset: 6:00 PM

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

https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/honolulu-hi/?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 · Pacific · Honolulu

Morning

Golden hour: 6:18 AM – 7:02 AM44 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:09 AM – 6:18 AM9 min of deep blue twilight

Evening

Golden hour: 5:30 PM – 6:14 PM44 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:14 PM – 6:23 PM9 min of deep blue twilight

Sunrise: 6:32 AM
Sunset: 6:00 PM
Day length: 11 hr 29 min
Solar noon: 12:16 PM

Where to point the camera

Solar path and bearing

Sunrise direction103° ESE

Sunset direction257° WSW

Sun's highest point57°

Day length vs yesterday−1 min

On this selected date, the sun reaches 57° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 257° WSW.

Pick the month before the day

Light through 2026 in Honolulu

Plan around the season: Honolulu's sampled golden window stretches to 48 min in December and compresses to 43 min by March. Where to stand changes with the calendar: 245° WSW in December swings to 296° WNW by June, 51° of horizon between them. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 10 hr 51 min to 13 hr 25 min, dragging every window with it.

Monthlocal day · 00–24

Exact monthly readings

Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Golden window sample	Sunset bearing
January	7:12 AM	6:11 PM	10 hr 59 min	5:39 PM · 47 min	248° WSW
February	7:03 AM	6:30 PM	11 hr 27 min	6:00 PM · 44 min	257° WSW
March	6:41 AM	6:42 PM	12 hr 1 min	6:12 PM · 43 min	268° W
April	6:13 AM	6:51 PM	12 hr 38 min	6:21 PM · 44 min	281° W
May	5:54 AM	7:03 PM	13 hr 9 min	6:32 PM · 46 min	291° WNW
June	5:50 AM	7:15 PM	13 hr 25 min	6:43 PM · 47 min	296° WNW
July	5:59 AM	7:17 PM	13 hr 18 min	6:46 PM · 47 min	294° WNW
August	6:11 AM	7:03 PM	12 hr 52 min	6:33 PM · 44 min	285° WNW
September	6:19 AM	6:36 PM	12 hr 16 min	6:06 PM · 43 min	273° W
October	6:28 AM	6:08 PM	11 hr 40 min	5:38 PM · 44 min	261° W
November	6:43 AM	5:51 PM	11 hr 7 min	5:19 PM · 46 min	250° WSW
December	7:02 AM	5:53 PM	10 hr 51 min	5:20 PM · 48 min	245° 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 Pacific · Honolulu, including any daylight-saving change.

Full light and twilight schedule

Midnight to midnight

Phase	Time
Astronomical dawn	5:17 AM
Nautical dawn	5:43 AM
Blue hour (morning)	6:09 AM
Golden hour (morning)	6:18 AM
Sunrise	6:32 AM
Solar noon	12:16 PM
Sunset	6:00 PM
Golden hour (evening)	5:30 PM
Blue hour (evening)	6:14 PM
Nautical dusk	6:49 PM
Astronomical dusk	7:15 PM

Seven local days in Honolulu

The week ahead

Date	Morning golden	Sunrise	Sunset	Evening golden
Sun, Oct 25	6:18 AM – 7:02 AM	6:32 AM	6:00 PM	5:30 PM – 6:14 PM
Mon, Oct 26	6:18 AM – 7:03 AM	6:32 AM	6:00 PM	5:30 PM – 6:14 PM
Tue, Oct 27	6:19 AM – 7:03 AM	6:33 AM	5:59 PM	5:29 PM – 6:13 PM
Wed, Oct 28	6:19 AM – 7:04 AM	6:33 AM	5:59 PM	5:28 PM – 6:13 PM
Thu, Oct 29	6:20 AM – 7:04 AM	6:34 AM	5:58 PM	5:28 PM – 6:12 PM
Fri, Oct 30	6:20 AM – 7:05 AM	6:34 AM	5:57 PM	5:27 PM – 6:11 PM
Sat, Oct 31	6:21 AM – 7:05 AM	6:35 AM	5:57 PM	5:26 PM – 6:11 PM

Moon and candidate vantage points

Context to verify

Moon on the selected date

The moon over Honolulu 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 257° 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 Honolulu, the evening golden hour window runs 44 min on the selected date and approaches from 257° 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 Honolulu

When is golden hour in Honolulu?: Honolulu has no fixed golden-hour clock time. The usable band begins at +6° and continues through −4°, enclosing sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening; its representative monthly duration is 43 minutes in March and 48 minutes in December. Use the date control above for the exact boundaries of the day you will shoot.
Which direction does the sun set in Honolulu?: Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 245° WSW in December versus 296° WNW in June in Honolulu. That 51° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
How much does day length change in Honolulu?: Honolulu's swing is 2 hr 34 min: December bottoms out around 10 hr 51 min of daylight while June peaks near 13 hr 25 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
Does Honolulu 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 December shoot in Honolulu? Budget 48 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.

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