Next usable light
Paris
8:01 PM – 9:04 PM
Solar noonDaytime50.9° · 180° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Europe · ParisMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:42 AM – 7:45 AM1 hr 3 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 6:29 AM – 6:42 AM13 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 8:01 PM – 9:04 PM1 hr 3 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 9:04 PM – 9:17 PM13 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 7:02 AM
- Sunset
- 8:44 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 41 min
- Solar noon
- 1:53 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 51° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 286° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Paris
The sampled golden window in Paris is not one number — it spans 1 hr 1 min (March) to 1 hr 18 min (December) over the year. Between December and June the sunset point migrates 74° — from 234° SW to 308° NW — which is enough to put a fixed foreground in or out of the light depending on the season. June days run 16 hr 9 min; by December they shrink to 8 hr 17 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:40 AM | 5:21 PM | 8 hr 42 min | 4:29 PM · 1 hr 14 min | 238° WSW |
| February | 8:00 AM | 6:11 PM | 10 hr 11 min | 5:26 PM · 1 hr 5 min | 252° WSW |
| March | 7:05 AM | 6:55 PM | 11 hr 50 min | 6:14 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 268° W |
| April | 7:01 AM | 8:42 PM | 13 hr 41 min | 7:59 PM · 1 hr 3 min | 286° WNW |
| May | 6:10 AM | 9:26 PM | 15 hr 15 min | 8:39 PM · 1 hr 9 min | 301° WNW |
| June | 5:47 AM | 9:56 PM | 16 hr 9 min | 9:07 PM · 1 hr 15 min | 308° NW |
| July | 6:03 AM | 9:51 PM | 15 hr 47 min | 9:02 PM · 1 hr 13 min | 305° NW |
| August | 6:44 AM | 9:08 PM | 14 hr 25 min | 8:24 PM · 1 hr 5 min | 293° WNW |
| September | 7:28 AM | 8:06 PM | 12 hr 39 min | 7:25 PM · 1 hr 1 min | 276° W |
| October | 8:11 AM | 7:03 PM | 10 hr 52 min | 6:20 PM · 1 hr 3 min | 258° WSW |
| November | 8:00 AM | 5:12 PM | 9 hr 12 min | 4:23 PM · 1 hr 11 min | 243° WSW |
| December | 8:38 AM | 4:55 PM | 8 hr 17 min | 4:00 PM · 1 hr 18 min | 234° SW |
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 ~4 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow Europe · Paris, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:04 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:48 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:29 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:42 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:02 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:53 PM |
| Sunset | 8:44 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 8:01 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 9:04 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 9:58 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 10:42 PM |
Seven local days in Paris
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:42 AM – 7:45 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:44 PM | 8:01 PM – 9:04 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:43 AM – 7:46 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:42 PM | 7:59 PM – 9:02 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:45 AM – 7:47 AM | 7:05 AM | 8:40 PM | 7:57 PM – 9:00 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:46 AM – 7:49 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:38 PM | 7:55 PM – 8:58 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:48 AM – 7:50 AM | 7:08 AM | 8:36 PM | 7:53 PM – 8:56 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:49 AM – 7:51 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:34 PM | 7:51 PM – 8:53 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:51 AM – 7:53 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:31 PM | 7:49 PM – 8:51 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Paris 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 286° 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 Paris, the evening golden hour window runs 1 hr 3 min on the selected date and approaches from 286° 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 Paris
- When is golden hour in Paris?
- Start with the sun angle in Paris: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 61 minutes in March and 78 minutes in December. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.
- Which direction does the sun set in Paris?
- Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 234° SW in December versus 308° NW in June in Paris. That 74° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
- How much does day length change in Paris?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Paris: 8 hr 17 min of daylight in December versus 16 hr 9 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Paris 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 Paris? Budget 1 hr 18 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.