Next usable light
New Orleans
6:57 PM – 7:44 PM
Solar noonDaytime69.7° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · ChicagoMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:21 AM – 7:08 AM47 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 6:12 AM – 6:21 AM10 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:57 PM – 7:44 PM47 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:44 PM – 7:54 PM10 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:36 AM
- Sunset
- 7:29 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 53 min
- Solar noon
- 1:03 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 70° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 282° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in New Orleans
June is the generous sample in New Orleans — 52 min of golden light — while March tightens the window to about 46 min. That 54° of seasonal travel — 244° WSW at the December extreme, 298° WNW at the June one — is why a bearing beats a compass direction when you scout. Day length spans 10 hr 14 min in December to 14 hr 4 min in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:57 AM | 5:23 PM | 10 hr 26 min | 4:48 PM · 51 min | 246° WSW |
| February | 6:41 AM | 5:50 PM | 11 hr 9 min | 5:17 PM · 48 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:09 PM | 11 hr 58 min | 6:37 PM · 46 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:28 PM | 12 hr 54 min | 6:56 PM · 47 min | 282° WNW |
| May | 6:08 AM | 7:47 PM | 13 hr 39 min | 7:14 PM · 50 min | 293° WNW |
| June | 6:00 AM | 8:03 PM | 14 hr 4 min | 7:28 PM · 52 min | 298° WNW |
| July | 6:10 AM | 8:04 PM | 13 hr 54 min | 7:29 PM · 51 min | 296° WNW |
| August | 6:29 AM | 7:43 PM | 13 hr 14 min | 7:10 PM · 48 min | 287° WNW |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:07 PM | 12 hr 22 min | 6:36 PM · 46 min | 274° W |
| October | 7:03 AM | 6:31 PM | 11 hr 28 min | 5:59 PM · 47 min | 261° W |
| November | 6:26 AM | 5:05 PM | 10 hr 39 min | 4:31 PM · 50 min | 249° WSW |
| December | 6:49 AM | 5:03 PM | 10 hr 14 min | 4:27 PM · 52 min | 244° 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 · Chicago, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:13 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:43 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:12 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:21 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:36 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:03 PM |
| Sunset | 7:29 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:57 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:44 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:22 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 8:52 PM |
Seven local days in New Orleans
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:21 AM – 7:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:29 PM | 6:57 PM – 7:44 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:22 AM – 7:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:28 PM | 6:56 PM – 7:43 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:22 AM – 7:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:27 PM | 6:55 PM – 7:42 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:23 AM – 7:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:26 PM | 6:54 PM – 7:40 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:23 AM – 7:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:24 PM | 6:53 PM – 7:39 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:24 AM – 7:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:23 PM | 6:51 PM – 7:38 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:24 AM – 7:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:22 PM | 6:50 PM – 7:37 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over New Orleans 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 282° 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 New Orleans, the evening golden hour window runs 47 min on the selected date and approaches from 282° 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 New Orleans
- When is golden hour in New Orleans?
- 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 New Orleans the representative monthly window is 46 minutes in March and 52 minutes in June. The light-windows panel above gives the exact start and end for any date.
- Which direction does the sun set in New Orleans?
- In New Orleans it depends on the month: 244° WSW in December, moving to 298° WNW by June — a 54° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in New Orleans?
- In New Orleans, between 10 hr 14 min (December) and 14 hr 4 min (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.
- Does New Orleans 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 New Orleans, the representative June golden window lasts 52 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.