Next usable light
Reykjavik
7:56 PM – 9:35 PM
Solar noonDaytime35.6° · 180° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · Atlantic · ReykjavikMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:26 AM – 7:05 AM1 hr 39 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:03 AM – 5:26 AM22 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:56 PM – 9:35 PM1 hr 39 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 9:35 PM – 9:57 PM22 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 5:59 AM
- Sunset
- 9:01 PM
- Day length
- 15 hr 3 min
- Solar noon
- 1:30 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 36° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 295° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Reykjavik
January is the generous sample in Reykjavik — 6 hr 50 min of golden light — while March tightens the window to about 1 hr 33 min. That 131° of seasonal travel — 209° SSW at the December extreme, 340° NNW at the June one — is why a bearing beats a compass direction when you scout. June days run 21 hr 2 min; by December they shrink to 4 hr 14 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10:56 AM | 4:19 PM | 5 hr 23 min | Merged · 10:13 AM · 6 hr 50 min | 217° SW |
| February | 9:25 AM | 6:01 PM | 8 hr 36 min | 4:42 PM · 1 hr 51 min | 242° WSW |
| March | 7:48 AM | 7:27 PM | 11 hr 39 min | 6:23 PM · 1 hr 33 min | 267° W |
| April | 5:57 AM | 9:00 PM | 15 hr 3 min | 7:54 PM · 1 hr 39 min | 295° WNW |
| May | 4:14 AM | 10:36 PM | 18 hr 22 min | 9:12 PM · 2 hr 16 min | 321° NW |
| June | 2:58 AM | 12:00 AM | 21 hr 2 min | Overnight · 10:05 PM · 6 hr 49 min | 340° NNW |
| July | 3:41 AM | 11:27 PM | 19 hr 46 min | 9:50 PM · 3 hr 7 min | 331° NNW |
| August | 5:19 AM | 9:47 PM | 16 hr 28 min | 8:36 PM · 1 hr 49 min | 306° NW |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:57 PM | 13 hr 6 min | 6:54 PM · 1 hr 33 min | 279° W |
| October | 8:18 AM | 6:11 PM | 9 hr 53 min | 5:01 PM · 1 hr 40 min | 252° WSW |
| November | 9:57 AM | 4:30 PM | 6 hr 34 min | 2:32 PM · 2 hr 36 min | 226° SW |
| December | 11:17 AM | 3:30 PM | 4 hr 14 min | Merged · 10:26 AM · 5 hr 56 min | 209° SSW |
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 ~7 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow Atlantic · Reykjavik, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | Does not occur |
| Nautical dawn | 3:42 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:03 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:26 AM |
| Sunrise | 5:59 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:30 PM |
| Sunset | 9:01 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:56 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 9:35 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 11:18 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | Does not occur |
Seven local days in Reykjavik
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:26 AM – 7:05 AM | 5:59 AM | 9:01 PM | 7:56 PM – 9:35 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:29 AM – 7:07 AM | 6:02 AM | 8:58 PM | 7:52 PM – 9:31 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:32 AM – 7:10 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:54 PM | 7:49 PM – 9:27 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:35 AM – 7:13 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:51 PM | 7:46 PM – 9:23 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:38 AM – 7:15 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:47 PM | 7:42 PM – 9:19 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:42 AM – 7:18 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:44 PM | 7:39 PM – 9:15 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:45 AM – 7:21 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:40 PM | 7:36 PM – 9:12 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Reykjavik is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
They are map-search starting points, not ranked recommendations; current access, closures, permits, safety, and unobstructed views have not been verified. The selected-date sunset bearing is 295° WNW; if a composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to find sampled months that align. This mathematical bearing is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Reykjavik, the evening golden hour window runs 1 hr 39 min on the selected date and approaches from 295° 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 Reykjavik
- When is golden hour in Reykjavik?
- 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 Reykjavik the representative monthly span is 93 minutes in March and 410 minutes in January. The panel above computes it for the exact date you pick.
- Which direction does the sun set in Reykjavik?
- In Reykjavik it depends on the month: 209° SSW in December, moving to 340° NNW by June — a 131° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Reykjavik?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Reykjavik: 4 hr 14 min of daylight in December versus 21 hr 2 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Reykjavik get blue hour right after golden hour?
- Always — the two are one continuous descent of the sun. Gold runs while the sun sits between +6° and −4° of Reykjavik's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a January golden window (6 hr 50 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.