Next usable light
Rio de Janeiro
5:12 PM – 5:56 PM
Solar noonDaytime57.4° · 359° N
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · Sao PauloMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:54 AM – 6:38 AM44 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:45 AM – 5:54 AM9 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 5:12 PM – 5:56 PM44 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:56 PM – 6:05 PM9 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:08 AM
- Sunset
- 5:42 PM
- Day length
- 11 hr 34 min
- Solar noon
- 11:55 AM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 57° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 280° W.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro's sampled golden window runs from about 43 min in March to 48 min in June. Sunset moves 51° along the horizon between December (244° WSW) and June (295° WNW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. December days run 13 hr 32 min; by June they shrink to 10 hr 44 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5:21 AM | 6:44 PM | 13 hr 23 min | 6:12 PM · 47 min | 247° WSW |
| February | 5:42 AM | 6:33 PM | 12 hr 51 min | 6:03 PM · 45 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 5:55 AM | 6:10 PM | 12 hr 15 min | 5:40 PM · 43 min | 267° W |
| April | 6:06 AM | 5:40 PM | 11 hr 34 min | 5:10 PM · 44 min | 280° W |
| May | 6:19 AM | 5:21 PM | 11 hr 1 min | 4:49 PM · 47 min | 290° WNW |
| June | 6:32 AM | 5:16 PM | 10 hr 44 min | 4:43 PM · 48 min | 295° WNW |
| July | 6:34 AM | 5:25 PM | 10 hr 51 min | 4:52 PM · 48 min | 293° WNW |
| August | 6:19 AM | 5:38 PM | 11 hr 19 min | 5:07 PM · 45 min | 285° WNW |
| September | 5:50 AM | 5:47 PM | 11 hr 57 min | 5:18 PM · 44 min | 273° W |
| October | 5:21 AM | 5:57 PM | 12 hr 36 min | 5:27 PM · 44 min | 260° W |
| November | 5:02 AM | 6:14 PM | 13 hr 13 min | 5:43 PM · 46 min | 249° WSW |
| December | 5:03 AM | 6:35 PM | 13 hr 32 min | 6:02 PM · 48 min | 244° 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 ~1 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · Sao Paulo, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:53 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:19 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:45 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:54 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:08 AM |
| Solar noon | 11:55 AM |
| Sunset | 5:42 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 5:12 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 5:56 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 6:31 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 6:57 PM |
Seven local days in Rio de Janeiro
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:54 AM – 6:38 AM | 6:08 AM | 5:42 PM | 5:12 PM – 5:56 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:53 AM – 6:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 5:42 PM | 5:12 PM – 5:56 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:52 AM – 6:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 5:43 PM | 5:12 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:51 AM – 6:35 AM | 6:05 AM | 5:43 PM | 5:13 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:50 AM – 6:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 5:43 PM | 5:13 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:49 AM – 6:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:14 PM – 5:57 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:48 AM – 6:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 5:44 PM | 5:14 PM – 5:58 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Rio de Janeiro 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 280° W; 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 Rio de Janeiro, the evening golden hour window runs 44 min on the selected date and approaches from 280° W. 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 Rio de Janeiro
- When is golden hour in Rio de Janeiro?
- Twice a day on most dates: a morning window that contains sunrise and an evening window that contains sunset, defined by the sun sitting between +6° and −4° of the horizon. In Rio de Janeiro the representative monthly window is 43 minutes in March and 48 minutes in June. The light-windows panel above gives the exact start and end for any date.
- Which direction does the sun set in Rio de Janeiro?
- Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 244° WSW in December versus 295° WNW in June in Rio de Janeiro. That 51° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
- How much does day length change in Rio de Janeiro?
- Rio de Janeiro's swing is 2 hr 48 min: June bottoms out around 10 hr 44 min of daylight while December peaks near 13 hr 32 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro, the representative June golden window lasts 48 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.