Next usable light
Honolulu
6:24 PM – 7:07 PM
Solar noonDaytime78.7° · 181° S
Light windows
Thu, Aug 27 · Pacific · HonoluluMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:01 AM – 6:44 AM44 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:52 AM – 6:01 AM9 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:24 PM – 7:07 PM44 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:07 PM – 7:16 PM9 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:15 AM
- Sunset
- 6:53 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 39 min
- Solar noon
- 12:34 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 79° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 281° W.
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.
| 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 | 4:58 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:25 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:52 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:01 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:15 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:34 PM |
| Sunset | 6:53 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:24 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:07 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 7:43 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 8:10 PM |
Seven local days in Honolulu
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Aug 27 | 6:01 AM – 6:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 PM | 6:24 PM – 7:07 PM |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:01 AM – 6:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 PM | 6:23 PM – 7:06 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:01 AM – 6:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 PM | 6:22 PM – 7:05 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:02 AM – 6:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:51 PM | 6:21 PM – 7:05 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:02 AM – 6:45 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:50 PM | 6:20 PM – 7:04 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:02 AM – 6:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:49 PM | 6:19 PM – 7:03 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:02 AM – 6:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:48 PM | 6:18 PM – 7:02 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 281° 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 Honolulu, the evening golden hour window runs 44 min on the selected date and approaches from 281° 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 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.