Next usable light
Istanbul
7:09 PM – 8:03 PM
Solar noonDaytime58.8° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Europe · IstanbulMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:10 AM – 7:04 AM54 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:59 AM – 6:10 AM11 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:09 PM – 8:03 PM54 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 8:03 PM – 8:14 PM11 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:27 AM
- Sunset
- 7:46 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 18 min
- Solar noon
- 1:06 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 59° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 284° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Istanbul
The sampled golden window in Istanbul is not one number — it spans 53 min (March) to 1 hr 3 min (December) over the year. That 64° of seasonal travel — 239° WSW at the December extreme, 303° WNW at the June one — is why a bearing beats a compass direction when you scout. Day length spans 9 hr 15 min in December to 15 hr 6 min in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:28 AM | 6:00 PM | 9 hr 33 min | 5:18 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 242° WSW |
| February | 8:00 AM | 6:38 PM | 10 hr 38 min | 6:00 PM · 56 min | 254° WSW |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:11 PM | 11 hr 53 min | 6:34 PM · 53 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:26 AM | 7:43 PM | 13 hr 17 min | 7:07 PM · 54 min | 284° WNW |
| May | 5:47 AM | 8:15 PM | 14 hr 28 min | 7:36 PM · 58 min | 296° WNW |
| June | 5:32 AM | 8:39 PM | 15 hr 6 min | 7:57 PM · 1 hr 2 min | 303° WNW |
| July | 5:45 AM | 8:36 PM | 14 hr 51 min | 7:55 PM · 1 hr | 300° WNW |
| August | 6:14 AM | 8:05 PM | 13 hr 50 min | 7:27 PM · 56 min | 290° WNW |
| September | 6:45 AM | 7:16 PM | 12 hr 31 min | 6:39 PM · 53 min | 275° W |
| October | 7:16 AM | 6:25 PM | 11 hr 10 min | 5:48 PM · 54 min | 260° W |
| November | 7:52 AM | 5:47 PM | 9 hr 55 min | 5:06 PM · 59 min | 246° WSW |
| December | 8:23 AM | 5:37 PM | 9 hr 15 min | 4:53 PM · 1 hr 3 min | 239° 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 Europe · Istanbul, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:49 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:25 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:59 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:10 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:27 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:06 PM |
| Sunset | 7:46 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:09 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 8:03 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:48 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:24 PM |
Seven local days in Istanbul
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:10 AM – 7:04 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:46 PM | 7:09 PM – 8:03 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:11 AM – 7:05 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:44 PM | 7:07 PM – 8:01 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:12 AM – 7:06 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:42 PM | 7:06 PM – 8:00 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:13 AM – 7:07 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:41 PM | 7:04 PM – 7:58 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:14 AM – 7:08 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:39 PM | 7:02 PM – 7:56 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:15 AM – 7:09 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:38 PM | 7:01 PM – 7:55 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:16 AM – 7:10 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:36 PM | 6:59 PM – 7:53 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Istanbul 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 284° 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 Istanbul, the evening golden hour window runs 54 min on the selected date and approaches from 284° 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 Istanbul
- When is golden hour in Istanbul?
- Whenever the sun is between +6° above and −4° below the horizon — a band that wraps around both sunrise and sunset. For Istanbul, the representative monthly window is 53 minutes in March and 63 minutes in December; separate morning and evening crossings merge or wrap overnight near the poles. Pick a date above for the minute-exact times.
- Which direction does the sun set in Istanbul?
- In Istanbul it depends on the month: 239° WSW in December, moving to 303° WNW by June — a 64° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Istanbul?
- Istanbul's swing is 5 hr 51 min: December bottoms out around 9 hr 15 min of daylight while June peaks near 15 hr 6 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Istanbul 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 Istanbul? Budget 1 hr 3 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.