When is golden hour in Mesa?

Whenever the sun is between +6° above and −4° below the horizon — a band that wraps around both sunrise and sunset. For Mesa, the representative monthly window is 48 minutes in March and 55 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 Mesa?

There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 57° along Mesa's horizon, between 242° WSW (December) and 299° 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 Mesa?

Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Mesa: 9 hr 57 min of daylight in December versus 14 hr 21 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.

Does Mesa 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 Mesa, the representative December golden window lasts 55 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.

Next usable light

Sun, Oct 25

Mesa

Evening golden hour

5:09 PM – 5:59 PM

night12:00 AMblue hour6:20 AMgolden hour6:30 AMdaylight12:12 PMgolden hour5:10 PMblue hour6:00 PMnight12:00 AM000306091215182124

Solar noonDaytime44.4° · 180° S

Take this plan with you

GoldenHourly field brief

Mesa, Arizona · Sun, Oct 25

Evening golden hour · 5:09 PM – 5:59 PM

sunrisesolar noonsunset

Arrive by: 4:54 PM
Duration: 50 min
Direction: 251° WSW
Azimuth: 251°→258°
Sunrise: 6:41 AM
Sunset: 5:44 PM

Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.

https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/mesa-az/?date=2026-10-25

Printed when prepared in your browser

Planning estimate. Calculated in your browser from fixed city coordinates and solar-altitude thresholds. Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included. Method & limits →

View the detailed light plan →

Light windows

Sun, Oct 25 · America · Phoenix

Morning

Golden hour: 6:25 AM – 7:15 AM50 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:15 AM – 6:25 AM10 min of deep blue twilight

Evening

Golden hour: 5:09 PM – 5:59 PM50 min of warm light
Blue hour: 5:59 PM – 6:09 PM10 min of deep blue twilight

Sunrise: 6:41 AM
Sunset: 5:44 PM
Day length: 11 hr 3 min
Solar noon: 12:12 PM

Where to point the camera

Solar path and bearing

Sunrise direction104° ESE

Sunset direction256° WSW

Sun's highest point44°

Day length vs yesterday−2 min

On this selected date, the sun reaches 44° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 256° WSW.

Pick the month before the day

Light through 2026 in Mesa

Plan around the season: Mesa's sampled golden window stretches to 55 min in December and compresses to 48 min by March. Sunset moves 57° along the horizon between December (242° WSW) and June (299° WNW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. June days run 14 hr 21 min; by December they shrink to 9 hr 57 min.

Monthlocal day · 00–24

Exact monthly readings

Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Golden window sample	Sunset bearing
January	7:32 AM	5:43 PM	10 hr 11 min	5:06 PM · 54 min	245° WSW
February	7:12 AM	6:13 PM	11 hr	5:38 PM · 50 min	256° WSW
March	6:39 AM	6:36 PM	11 hr 57 min	6:03 PM · 48 min	268° W
April	5:58 AM	6:58 PM	13 hr 1 min	6:25 PM · 49 min	283° WNW
May	5:28 AM	7:21 PM	13 hr 53 min	6:46 PM · 52 min	294° WNW
June	5:18 AM	7:39 PM	14 hr 21 min	7:03 PM · 54 min	299° WNW
July	5:29 AM	7:39 PM	14 hr 9 min	7:03 PM · 53 min	297° WNW
August	5:51 AM	7:15 PM	13 hr 24 min	6:41 PM · 50 min	288° WNW
September	6:12 AM	6:35 PM	12 hr 24 min	6:03 PM · 48 min	274° W
October	6:32 AM	5:55 PM	11 hr 22 min	5:21 PM · 49 min	260° W
November	7:00 AM	5:26 PM	10 hr 26 min	4:50 PM · 52 min	248° WSW
December	7:25 AM	5:22 PM	9 hr 57 min	4:44 PM · 55 min	242° 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 ~2 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · Phoenix, including any daylight-saving change.

Full light and twilight schedule

Midnight to midnight

Phase	Time
Astronomical dawn	5:17 AM
Nautical dawn	5:46 AM
Blue hour (morning)	6:15 AM
Golden hour (morning)	6:25 AM
Sunrise	6:41 AM
Solar noon	12:12 PM
Sunset	5:44 PM
Golden hour (evening)	5:09 PM
Blue hour (evening)	5:59 PM
Nautical dusk	6:38 PM
Astronomical dusk	7:07 PM

Seven local days in Mesa

The week ahead

Date	Morning golden	Sunrise	Sunset	Evening golden
Sun, Oct 25	6:25 AM – 7:15 AM	6:41 AM	5:44 PM	5:09 PM – 5:59 PM
Mon, Oct 26	6:26 AM – 7:16 AM	6:41 AM	5:42 PM	5:08 PM – 5:58 PM
Tue, Oct 27	6:27 AM – 7:17 AM	6:42 AM	5:41 PM	5:07 PM – 5:57 PM
Wed, Oct 28	6:28 AM – 7:18 AM	6:43 AM	5:40 PM	5:06 PM – 5:56 PM
Thu, Oct 29	6:28 AM – 7:19 AM	6:44 AM	5:39 PM	5:05 PM – 5:55 PM
Fri, Oct 30	6:29 AM – 7:19 AM	6:45 AM	5:38 PM	5:04 PM – 5:54 PM
Sat, Oct 31	6:30 AM – 7:20 AM	6:46 AM	5:38 PM	5:03 PM – 5:53 PM

Moon and candidate vantage points

Context to verify

Moon on the selected date

The moon over Mesa 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 256° WSW. 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 Mesa, the evening golden hour window runs 50 min on the selected date and approaches from 256° WSW. 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 Mesa

When is golden hour in Mesa?: Whenever the sun is between +6° above and −4° below the horizon — a band that wraps around both sunrise and sunset. For Mesa, the representative monthly window is 48 minutes in March and 55 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 Mesa?: There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 57° along Mesa's horizon, between 242° WSW (December) and 299° 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 Mesa?: Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Mesa: 9 hr 57 min of daylight in December versus 14 hr 21 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
Does Mesa 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 Mesa, the representative December golden window lasts 55 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.

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