Next usable light
Key West
7:21 PM – 8:05 PM
Solar noonDaytime75.1° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · New YorkMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:54 AM – 7:38 AM45 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 6:45 AM – 6:54 AM9 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:21 PM – 8:05 PM45 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 8:05 PM – 8:14 PM9 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 7:08 AM
- Sunset
- 7:51 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 43 min
- Solar noon
- 1:29 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 75° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 281° W.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Key West
Plan around the season: Key West's sampled golden window stretches to 49 min in June and compresses to 44 min by March. Check the bearing column before trusting a remembered spot: sunset lands at 245° WSW in December but 296° WNW in June, a 51° shift. Day length spans 10 hr 37 min in December to 13 hr 39 min in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:14 AM | 6:00 PM | 10 hr 47 min | 5:27 PM · 48 min | 247° WSW |
| February | 7:02 AM | 6:22 PM | 11 hr 20 min | 5:51 PM · 45 min | 257° WSW |
| March | 7:37 AM | 7:37 PM | 12 hr | 7:07 PM · 44 min | 268° W |
| April | 7:06 AM | 7:50 PM | 12 hr 44 min | 7:19 PM · 45 min | 281° WNW |
| May | 6:44 AM | 8:04 PM | 13 hr 20 min | 7:32 PM · 47 min | 291° WNW |
| June | 6:39 AM | 8:18 PM | 13 hr 39 min | 7:45 PM · 49 min | 296° WNW |
| July | 6:48 AM | 8:19 PM | 13 hr 31 min | 7:47 PM · 48 min | 294° WNW |
| August | 7:03 AM | 8:03 PM | 13 hr | 7:32 PM · 46 min | 286° WNW |
| September | 7:14 AM | 7:32 PM | 12 hr 18 min | 7:02 PM · 44 min | 274° W |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:02 PM | 11 hr 36 min | 6:31 PM · 45 min | 261° W |
| November | 6:44 AM | 5:41 PM | 10 hr 57 min | 5:09 PM · 47 min | 250° WSW |
| December | 7:04 AM | 5:42 PM | 10 hr 37 min | 5:08 PM · 49 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 America · New York, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:49 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 6:17 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:45 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:54 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:08 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:29 PM |
| Sunset | 7:51 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:21 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 8:05 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:42 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:09 PM |
Seven local days in Key West
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:54 AM – 7:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:51 PM | 7:21 PM – 8:05 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:54 AM – 7:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:50 PM | 7:20 PM – 8:04 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:54 AM – 7:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:49 PM | 7:19 PM – 8:03 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:55 AM – 7:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:48 PM | 7:18 PM – 8:02 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:55 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 PM | 7:17 PM – 8:01 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:55 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 PM | 7:16 PM – 8:00 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:56 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 PM | 7:15 PM – 7:59 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Key West 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 Key West, the evening golden hour window runs 45 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 Key West
- When is golden hour in Key West?
- The reliable answer is an angle, not a clock time: golden hour is the span with the sun between +6° and −4° of the horizon, around sunrise and again around sunset. In Key West the representative monthly span is 44 minutes in March and 49 minutes in June. The panel above computes it for the exact date you pick.
- Which direction does the sun set in Key West?
- There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 51° along Key West's horizon, between 245° WSW (December) and 296° WNW (June). The month table above lists the bearing for each month, and the sun-path panel computes it per date.
- How much does day length change in Key West?
- Key West's swing is 3 hr 2 min: December bottoms out around 10 hr 37 min of daylight while June peaks near 13 hr 39 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Key West get blue hour right after golden hour?
- Yes — they are adjacent bands of the same descent: golden hour spans +6° to −4° of solar altitude and blue hour continues from −4° to −6°. In Key West, the representative June golden window lasts 49 min; on ordinary dates evening blue begins when its evening side ends, while polar dates can merge or wrap overnight. The light-windows panel above computes both for any date.