Next usable light
London
7:13 PM – 8:20 PM
Solar noonDaytime48.3° · 180° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Europe · LondonMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:46 AM – 6:52 AM1 hr 7 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:32 AM – 5:46 AM14 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:13 PM – 8:20 PM1 hr 7 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 8:20 PM – 8:34 PM14 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:07 AM
- Sunset
- 7:58 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 51 min
- Solar noon
- 1:03 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 48° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 287° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in London
December is the generous sample in London — 1 hr 26 min of golden light — while March tightens the window to about 1 hr 5 min. The 79° seasonal walk of the sunset point (232° SW in December, 311° NW in June) matters more than the clock time for framing. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 7 hr 52 min to 16 hr 36 min, dragging every window with it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:00 AM | 4:21 PM | 8 hr 20 min | 3:23 PM · 1 hr 21 min | 236° SW |
| February | 7:16 AM | 5:15 PM | 9 hr 59 min | 4:27 PM · 1 hr 10 min | 251° WSW |
| March | 6:16 AM | 6:05 PM | 11 hr 49 min | 5:20 PM · 1 hr 5 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:06 AM | 7:56 PM | 13 hr 51 min | 7:11 PM · 1 hr 7 min | 287° WNW |
| May | 5:10 AM | 8:46 PM | 15 hr 36 min | 7:56 PM · 1 hr 14 min | 303° WNW |
| June | 4:44 AM | 9:20 PM | 16 hr 36 min | 8:26 PM · 1 hr 22 min | 311° NW |
| July | 5:01 AM | 9:13 PM | 16 hr 12 min | 8:21 PM · 1 hr 19 min | 308° NW |
| August | 5:46 AM | 8:25 PM | 14 hr 39 min | 7:39 PM · 1 hr 9 min | 294° WNW |
| September | 6:36 AM | 7:18 PM | 12 hr 42 min | 6:34 PM · 1 hr 5 min | 276° W |
| October | 7:25 AM | 6:09 PM | 10 hr 45 min | 5:23 PM · 1 hr 7 min | 258° WSW |
| November | 7:19 AM | 4:13 PM | 8 hr 54 min | 3:20 PM · 1 hr 16 min | 241° WSW |
| December | 8:00 AM | 3:52 PM | 7 hr 52 min | 2:51 PM · 1 hr 26 min | 232° 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 ~4 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow Europe · London, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 3:59 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 4:48 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:32 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:46 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:07 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:03 PM |
| Sunset | 7:58 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:13 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 8:20 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 9:18 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 10:07 PM |
Seven local days in London
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:46 AM – 6:52 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:58 PM | 7:13 PM – 8:20 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:47 AM – 6:54 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:56 PM | 7:11 PM – 8:18 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:49 AM – 6:55 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:54 PM | 7:09 PM – 8:15 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:51 AM – 6:57 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:52 PM | 7:07 PM – 8:13 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:52 AM – 6:58 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:50 PM | 7:05 PM – 8:11 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:54 AM – 7:00 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:47 PM | 7:03 PM – 8:09 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:56 AM – 7:01 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:45 PM | 7:01 PM – 8:06 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over London 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 287° 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 London, the evening golden hour window runs 1 hr 7 min on the selected date and approaches from 287° 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 London
- When is golden hour in London?
- Twice a day on most dates: a morning window that contains sunrise and an evening window that contains sunset, defined by the sun sitting between +6° and −4° of the horizon. In London the representative monthly window is 65 minutes in March and 86 minutes in December. The light-windows panel above gives the exact start and end for any date.
- Which direction does the sun set in London?
- Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 232° SW in December versus 311° NW in June in London. That 79° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
- How much does day length change in London?
- In London, between 7 hr 52 min (December) and 16 hr 36 min (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.
- Does London 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 London's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a December golden window (1 hr 26 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.