Next usable light
Petra
6:36 PM – 7:23 PM
Solar noonDaytime69.5° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Asia · AmmanMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:58 AM – 6:46 AM47 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:49 AM – 5:58 AM10 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:36 PM – 7:23 PM47 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:23 PM – 7:32 PM10 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:13 AM
- Sunset
- 7:08 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 54 min
- Solar noon
- 12:41 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 69° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 282° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Petra
The sampled golden window in Petra is not one number — it spans 46 min (March) to 53 min (December) over the year. The 55° seasonal walk of the sunset point (243° WSW in December, 298° WNW in June) matters more than the clock time for framing. June days run 14 hr 5 min; by December they shrink to 10 hr 12 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:36 AM | 6:00 PM | 10 hr 24 min | 5:25 PM · 51 min | 246° WSW |
| February | 7:20 AM | 6:27 PM | 11 hr 7 min | 5:54 PM · 48 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 6:49 AM | 6:47 PM | 11 hr 57 min | 6:15 PM · 46 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:12 AM | 7:06 PM | 12 hr 54 min | 6:34 PM · 47 min | 282° WNW |
| May | 5:45 AM | 7:26 PM | 13 hr 40 min | 6:52 PM · 50 min | 293° WNW |
| June | 5:37 AM | 7:42 PM | 14 hr 5 min | 7:07 PM · 52 min | 298° WNW |
| July | 5:47 AM | 7:42 PM | 13 hr 55 min | 7:08 PM · 51 min | 296° WNW |
| August | 6:06 AM | 7:22 PM | 13 hr 16 min | 6:49 PM · 48 min | 287° WNW |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:46 PM | 12 hr 22 min | 6:14 PM · 46 min | 274° W |
| October | 6:41 AM | 6:09 PM | 11 hr 28 min | 5:36 PM · 47 min | 261° W |
| November | 7:04 AM | 5:43 PM | 10 hr 38 min | 5:08 PM · 50 min | 249° WSW |
| December | 7:28 AM | 5:40 PM | 10 hr 12 min | 5:04 PM · 53 min | 243° 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 Asia · Amman, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:50 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:20 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:49 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:58 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:13 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:41 PM |
| Sunset | 7:08 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:36 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:23 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:01 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 8:31 PM |
Seven local days in Petra
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:58 AM – 6:46 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:08 PM | 6:36 PM – 7:23 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:59 AM – 6:46 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:07 PM | 6:34 PM – 7:22 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:00 AM – 6:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:05 PM | 6:33 PM – 7:20 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:00 AM – 6:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:04 PM | 6:32 PM – 7:19 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:01 AM – 6:48 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:03 PM | 6:31 PM – 7:18 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:01 AM – 6:48 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:02 PM | 6:30 PM – 7:17 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:02 AM – 6:49 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:01 PM | 6:29 PM – 7:16 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Petra 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 Petra, 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 Petra
- When is golden hour in Petra?
- The reliable answer is an angle, not a clock time: golden hour is the span with the sun between +6° and −4° of the horizon, around sunrise and again around sunset. In Petra the representative monthly span is 46 minutes in March and 53 minutes in December. The panel above computes it for the exact date you pick.
- Which direction does the sun set in Petra?
- Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 243° WSW in December versus 298° WNW in June in Petra. That 55° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
- How much does day length change in Petra?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Petra: 10 hr 12 min of daylight in December versus 14 hr 5 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Petra 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 Petra? Budget 53 min of gold, then the blue window follows immediately — both computed per date in the light-windows panel.