When is golden hour in Monterey?

Whenever the sun is between +6° above and −4° below the horizon — a band that wraps around both sunrise and sunset. For Monterey, the representative monthly window is 50 minutes in March and 58 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 Monterey?

In Monterey it depends on the month: 241° WSW in December, moving to 300° WNW by June — a 59° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.

How much does day length change in Monterey?

Monterey's swing is 4 hr 59 min: December bottoms out around 9 hr 40 min of daylight while June peaks near 14 hr 39 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.

Does Monterey 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 Monterey? Budget 58 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.

Next usable light

Sun, Oct 25

Monterey

Evening golden hour

5:44 PM – 6:36 PM

night12:00 AMblue hour7:00 AMgolden hour7:10 AMdaylight12:52 PMgolden hour5:50 PMblue hour6:40 PMnight12:00 AM000306091215182124

Solar noonDaytime41.2° · 180° S

Take this plan with you

GoldenHourly field brief

Monterey, California · Sun, Oct 25

Evening golden hour · 5:44 PM – 6:36 PM

sunrisesolar noonsunset

Arrive by: 5:29 PM
Duration: 52 min
Direction: 250° WSW
Azimuth: 250°→258°
Sunrise: 7:25 AM
Sunset: 6:20 PM

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

https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/monterey-ca/?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 · Los Angeles

Morning

Golden hour: 7:09 AM – 8:01 AM52 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:58 AM – 7:09 AM10 min of deep blue twilight

Evening

Golden hour: 5:44 PM – 6:36 PM52 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:36 PM – 6:46 PM10 min of deep blue twilight

Sunrise: 7:25 AM
Sunset: 6:20 PM
Day length: 10 hr 55 min
Solar noon: 12:52 PM

Where to point the camera

Solar path and bearing

Sunrise direction105° ESE

Sunset direction255° WSW

Sun's highest point41°

Day length vs yesterday−2 min

On this selected date, the sun reaches 41° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 255° WSW.

Pick the month before the day

Light through 2026 in Monterey

Plan around the season: Monterey's sampled golden window stretches to 58 min in December and compresses to 50 min by March. Sunset moves 59° along the horizon between December (241° WSW) and June (300° WNW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. June days run 14 hr 39 min; by December they shrink to 9 hr 40 min.

Monthlocal day · 00–24

Exact monthly readings

Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Golden window sample	Sunset bearing
January	7:20 AM	5:16 PM	9 hr 56 min	4:37 PM · 56 min	244° WSW
February	6:57 AM	5:49 PM	10 hr 52 min	5:13 PM · 52 min	255° WSW
March	7:19 AM	7:15 PM	11 hr 56 min	6:41 PM · 50 min	268° W
April	6:34 AM	7:42 PM	13 hr 8 min	7:07 PM · 51 min	283° WNW
May	6:01 AM	8:08 PM	14 hr 7 min	7:32 PM · 54 min	295° WNW
June	5:49 AM	8:28 PM	14 hr 39 min	7:50 PM · 57 min	300° WNW
July	6:01 AM	8:27 PM	14 hr 25 min	7:49 PM · 56 min	298° WNW
August	6:26 AM	8:00 PM	13 hr 34 min	7:25 PM · 52 min	288° WNW
September	6:51 AM	7:17 PM	12 hr 26 min	6:43 PM · 50 min	274° W
October	7:15 AM	6:32 PM	11 hr 17 min	5:58 PM · 51 min	260° W
November	6:46 AM	5:00 PM	10 hr 14 min	4:22 PM · 55 min	247° WSW
December	7:13 AM	4:54 PM	9 hr 40 min	4:14 PM · 58 min	241° 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 · Los Angeles, including any daylight-saving change.

Full light and twilight schedule

Midnight to midnight

Phase	Time
Astronomical dawn	5:58 AM
Nautical dawn	6:28 AM
Blue hour (morning)	6:58 AM
Golden hour (morning)	7:09 AM
Sunrise	7:25 AM
Solar noon	12:52 PM
Sunset	6:20 PM
Golden hour (evening)	5:44 PM
Blue hour (evening)	6:36 PM
Nautical dusk	7:16 PM
Astronomical dusk	7:46 PM

Seven local days in Monterey

The week ahead

Date	Morning golden	Sunrise	Sunset	Evening golden
Sun, Oct 25	7:09 AM – 8:01 AM	7:25 AM	6:20 PM	5:44 PM – 6:36 PM
Mon, Oct 26	7:10 AM – 8:02 AM	7:26 AM	6:19 PM	5:43 PM – 6:35 PM
Tue, Oct 27	7:11 AM – 8:03 AM	7:27 AM	6:17 PM	5:42 PM – 6:34 PM
Wed, Oct 28	7:11 AM – 8:04 AM	7:28 AM	6:16 PM	5:40 PM – 6:33 PM
Thu, Oct 29	7:12 AM – 8:05 AM	7:29 AM	6:15 PM	5:39 PM – 6:32 PM
Fri, Oct 30	7:13 AM – 8:06 AM	7:30 AM	6:14 PM	5:38 PM – 6:31 PM
Sat, Oct 31	7:14 AM – 8:07 AM	7:31 AM	6:13 PM	5:37 PM – 6:29 PM

Moon and candidate vantage points

Context to verify

Moon on the selected date

The moon over Monterey 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. 255° WSW 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 Monterey, the evening golden hour window runs 52 min on the selected date and approaches from 255° 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 Monterey

When is golden hour in Monterey?: Whenever the sun is between +6° above and −4° below the horizon — a band that wraps around both sunrise and sunset. For Monterey, the representative monthly window is 50 minutes in March and 58 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 Monterey?: In Monterey it depends on the month: 241° WSW in December, moving to 300° WNW by June — a 59° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
How much does day length change in Monterey?: Monterey's swing is 4 hr 59 min: December bottoms out around 9 hr 40 min of daylight while June peaks near 14 hr 39 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
Does Monterey 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 Monterey? Budget 58 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.

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