Next usable light
Madrid
8:19 PM – 9:13 PM
Solar noonDaytime59.3° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Europe · MadridMorning
- Golden hour
- 7:22 AM – 8:15 AM54 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:11 AM – 7:22 AM11 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 8:19 PM – 9:13 PM54 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 9:13 PM – 9:24 PM11 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 7:39 AM
- Sunset
- 8:55 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 16 min
- Solar noon
- 2:17 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 Madrid
The sampled golden window in Madrid is not one number — it spans 53 min (March) to 1 hr 2 min (December) over the year. That 62° of seasonal travel — 240° WSW at the December extreme, 302° WNW at the June one — is why a bearing beats a compass direction when you scout. June days run 15 hr 2 min; by December they shrink to 9 hr 18 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:37 AM | 6:13 PM | 9 hr 36 min | 5:31 PM · 1 hr | 243° WSW |
| February | 8:10 AM | 6:50 PM | 10 hr 40 min | 6:12 PM · 55 min | 254° WSW |
| March | 7:28 AM | 7:22 PM | 11 hr 54 min | 6:46 PM · 53 min | 268° W |
| April | 7:37 AM | 8:54 PM | 13 hr 16 min | 8:17 PM · 54 min | 284° WNW |
| May | 7:00 AM | 9:24 PM | 14 hr 25 min | 8:45 PM · 58 min | 296° WNW |
| June | 6:45 AM | 9:47 PM | 15 hr 2 min | 9:06 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 302° WNW |
| July | 6:58 AM | 9:45 PM | 14 hr 47 min | 9:05 PM · 1 hr | 300° WNW |
| August | 7:26 AM | 9:14 PM | 13 hr 48 min | 8:37 PM · 55 min | 290° WNW |
| September | 7:56 AM | 8:26 PM | 12 hr 30 min | 7:50 PM · 53 min | 275° W |
| October | 8:26 AM | 7:37 PM | 11 hr 11 min | 7:00 PM · 54 min | 260° W |
| November | 8:01 AM | 5:59 PM | 9 hr 58 min | 5:19 PM · 58 min | 246° WSW |
| December | 8:31 AM | 5:50 PM | 9 hr 18 min | 5:07 PM · 1 hr 2 min | 240° 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 · Madrid, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 6:01 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 6:37 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 7:11 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 7:22 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:39 AM |
| Solar noon | 2:17 PM |
| Sunset | 8:55 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 8:19 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 9:13 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 9:57 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 10:33 PM |
Seven local days in Madrid
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 7:22 AM – 8:15 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:55 PM | 8:19 PM – 9:13 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 7:23 AM – 8:16 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:54 PM | 8:17 PM – 9:11 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 7:24 AM – 8:17 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:52 PM | 8:16 PM – 9:09 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 7:25 AM – 8:18 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:51 PM | 8:14 PM – 9:08 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 7:26 AM – 8:19 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:49 PM | 8:13 PM – 9:06 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 7:27 AM – 8:20 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:47 PM | 8:11 PM – 9:05 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 7:28 AM – 8:21 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:46 PM | 8:10 PM – 9:03 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Madrid is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
Use them only as map-search leads; they are not ranked recommendations. We have not verified current access, closures, permits, safety, or an unobstructed view. 284° WNW is the selected-date mathematical sunset bearing; if another composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to locate better-matched sampled months. The number is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Madrid, 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 Madrid
- When is golden hour in Madrid?
- Madrid 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 53 minutes in March and 62 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 Madrid?
- In Madrid it depends on the month: 240° WSW in December, moving to 302° WNW by June — a 62° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Madrid?
- Madrid's swing is 5 hr 44 min: December bottoms out around 9 hr 18 min of daylight while June peaks near 15 hr 2 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Madrid 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 Madrid? Budget 1 hr 2 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.