Next usable light
5:10 PM – 6:00 PM
Solar noonDaytime44.4° · 180° S
Phoenix, Arizona · Sun, Oct 25
Evening golden hour · 5:10 PM – 6:00 PM
Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.
https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/phoenix-az/?date=2026-10-25
Morning
Evening
Where to point the camera
On this selected date, the sun reaches 44° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 256° WSW.
Pick the month before the day
The sampled golden window in Phoenix is not one number — it spans 48 min (March) to 55 min (December) over the year. The 57° seasonal walk of the sunset point (242° WSW in December, 299° WNW in June) matters more than the clock time for framing. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 9 hr 57 min to 14 hr 21 min, dragging every window with it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:33 AM | 5:44 PM | 10 hr 11 min | 5:07 PM · 54 min | 245° WSW |
| February | 7:13 AM | 6:13 PM | 11 hr | 5:39 PM · 50 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 6:40 AM | 6:37 PM | 11 hr 57 min | 6:04 PM · 48 min | 268° W |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:59 PM | 13 hr 1 min | 6:26 PM · 49 min | 283° WNW |
| May | 5:29 AM | 7:22 PM | 13 hr 53 min | 6:47 PM · 52 min | 294° WNW |
| June | 5:19 AM | 7:40 PM | 14 hr 21 min | 7:04 PM · 54 min | 299° WNW |
| July | 5:30 AM | 7:40 PM | 14 hr 10 min | 7:04 PM · 53 min | 297° WNW |
| August | 5:52 AM | 7:16 PM | 13 hr 24 min | 6:42 PM · 50 min | 288° WNW |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:36 PM | 12 hr 24 min | 6:04 PM · 48 min | 274° W |
| October | 6:33 AM | 5:56 PM | 11 hr 22 min | 5:22 PM · 49 min | 260° W |
| November | 7:01 AM | 5:27 PM | 10 hr 26 min | 4:51 PM · 52 min | 248° WSW |
| December | 7:26 AM | 5:23 PM | 9 hr 57 min | 4:45 PM · 55 min | 242° 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 · Phoenix, including any daylight-saving change.
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:18 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:47 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:16 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:26 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:42 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:13 PM |
| Sunset | 5:44 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 5:10 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 6:00 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 6:39 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 7:08 PM |
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 | 6:26 AM – 7:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:10 PM – 6:00 PM |
| Mon, Oct 26 | 6:27 AM – 7:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 5:43 PM | 5:09 PM – 5:59 PM |
| Tue, Oct 27 | 6:28 AM – 7:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 5:42 PM | 5:08 PM – 5:58 PM |
| Wed, Oct 28 | 6:29 AM – 7:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 5:41 PM | 5:07 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 6:29 AM – 7:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 5:40 PM | 5:06 PM – 5:56 PM |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 6:30 AM – 7:20 AM | 6:46 AM | 5:39 PM | 5:05 PM – 5:55 PM |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 6:31 AM – 7:21 AM | 6:47 AM | 5:38 PM | 5:04 PM – 5:54 PM |
The moon over Phoenix is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
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 256° WSW. 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.
In Phoenix, the evening golden hour window runs 50 min on the selected date and approaches from 256° 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