Next usable light
Mexico City
6:27 PM – 7:10 PM
Solar noonDaytime80.2° · 182° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · Mexico CityMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:08 AM – 6:51 AM43 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:59 AM – 6:08 AM9 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:27 PM – 7:10 PM43 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:10 PM – 7:19 PM9 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:21 AM
- Sunset
- 6:56 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 35 min
- Solar noon
- 12:39 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 80° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 281° W.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Mexico City
June is the generous sample in Mexico City — 47 min of golden light — while March tightens the window to about 42 min. Between December and June the sunset point migrates 49° — from 246° WSW to 295° WNW — which is enough to put a fixed foreground in or out of the light depending on the season. June days run 13 hr 18 min; by December they shrink to 10 hr 58 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:14 AM | 6:19 PM | 11 hr 5 min | 5:47 PM · 46 min | 248° WSW |
| February | 7:06 AM | 6:37 PM | 11 hr 31 min | 6:07 PM · 44 min | 257° WSW |
| March | 6:46 AM | 6:47 PM | 12 hr 1 min | 6:18 PM · 42 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:55 PM | 12 hr 35 min | 6:25 PM · 43 min | 281° W |
| May | 6:02 AM | 7:05 PM | 13 hr 3 min | 6:35 PM · 45 min | 291° WNW |
| June | 5:59 AM | 7:17 PM | 13 hr 18 min | 6:45 PM · 47 min | 295° WNW |
| July | 6:07 AM | 7:19 PM | 13 hr 12 min | 6:48 PM · 46 min | 293° WNW |
| August | 6:18 AM | 7:06 PM | 12 hr 48 min | 6:36 PM · 44 min | 285° WNW |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 12 hr 16 min | 6:11 PM · 42 min | 273° W |
| October | 6:32 AM | 6:14 PM | 11 hr 43 min | 5:45 PM · 43 min | 261° W |
| November | 6:45 AM | 5:59 PM | 11 hr 13 min | 5:28 PM · 45 min | 251° WSW |
| December | 7:04 AM | 6:02 PM | 10 hr 58 min | 5:29 PM · 47 min | 246° 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 · Mexico City, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:06 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:33 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:59 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:08 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:21 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:39 PM |
| Sunset | 6:56 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:27 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:10 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 7:45 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 8:11 PM |
Seven local days in Mexico City
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:08 AM – 6:51 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:56 PM | 6:27 PM – 7:10 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:08 AM – 6:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:55 PM | 6:26 PM – 7:09 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:08 AM – 6:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:55 PM | 6:25 PM – 7:08 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:08 AM – 6:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:54 PM | 6:24 PM – 7:07 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:09 AM – 6:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:53 PM | 6:24 PM – 7:06 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:09 AM – 6:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:52 PM | 6:23 PM – 7:06 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:09 AM – 6:52 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:51 PM | 6:22 PM – 7:05 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Mexico City 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 Mexico City, the evening golden hour window runs 43 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 Mexico City
- When is golden hour in Mexico City?
- 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 Mexico City the representative monthly window is 42 minutes in March and 47 minutes in June. The light-windows panel above gives the exact start and end for any date.
- Which direction does the sun set in Mexico City?
- In Mexico City it depends on the month: 246° WSW in December, moving to 295° WNW by June — a 49° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Mexico City?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Mexico City: 10 hr 58 min of daylight in December versus 13 hr 18 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Mexico City 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 Mexico City's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a June golden window (47 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.