Next usable light
New York
7:00 PM – 7:54 PM
Solar noonDaytime59.0° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · New YorkMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:03 AM – 6:57 AM54 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:52 AM – 6:03 AM11 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:00 PM – 7:54 PM54 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:54 PM – 8:05 PM11 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:20 AM
- Sunset
- 7:37 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 17 min
- Solar noon
- 12:58 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 New York
New York's sampled golden window runs from about 53 min in March to 1 hr 3 min in December. Check the bearing column before trusting a remembered spot: sunset lands at 240° WSW in December but 302° WNW in June, a 62° shift. Day length spans 9 hr 17 min in December to 15 hr 4 min in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:19 AM | 4:53 PM | 9 hr 35 min | 4:11 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 243° WSW |
| February | 6:51 AM | 5:31 PM | 10 hr 40 min | 4:53 PM · 55 min | 254° WSW |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:03 PM | 11 hr 54 min | 6:27 PM · 53 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:18 AM | 7:35 PM | 13 hr 17 min | 6:59 PM · 54 min | 284° WNW |
| May | 5:40 AM | 8:07 PM | 14 hr 27 min | 7:27 PM · 58 min | 296° WNW |
| June | 5:25 AM | 8:30 PM | 15 hr 4 min | 7:48 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 302° WNW |
| July | 5:38 AM | 8:27 PM | 14 hr 49 min | 7:47 PM · 1 hr | 300° WNW |
| August | 6:07 AM | 7:56 PM | 13 hr 49 min | 7:18 PM · 55 min | 290° WNW |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:07 PM | 12 hr 30 min | 6:31 PM · 53 min | 275° W |
| October | 7:08 AM | 6:17 PM | 11 hr 10 min | 5:40 PM · 54 min | 260° W |
| November | 6:44 AM | 4:39 PM | 9 hr 56 min | 3:59 PM · 59 min | 246° WSW |
| December | 7:14 AM | 4:30 PM | 9 hr 17 min | 3:47 PM · 1 hr 3 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 America · New York, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:42 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:18 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:52 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:03 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:20 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:58 PM |
| Sunset | 7:37 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:00 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:54 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:39 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:15 PM |
Seven local days in New York
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:03 AM – 6:57 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:37 PM | 7:00 PM – 7:54 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:04 AM – 6:58 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:35 PM | 6:58 PM – 7:52 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:05 AM – 6:59 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:33 PM | 6:57 PM – 7:51 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:06 AM – 6:59 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:32 PM | 6:55 PM – 7:49 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:07 AM – 7:00 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:30 PM | 6:54 PM – 7:47 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:08 AM – 7:01 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:29 PM | 6:52 PM – 7:46 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:09 AM – 7:02 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:27 PM | 6:51 PM – 7:44 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over New York 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 New York, 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 New York
- When is golden hour in New York?
- Start with the sun angle in New York: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 53 minutes in March and 63 minutes in December. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.
- Which direction does the sun set in New York?
- In New York 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 New York?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in New York: 9 hr 17 min of daylight in December versus 15 hr 4 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does New York 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 York, the representative December golden window lasts 1 hr 3 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.