Next usable light
5:32 PM – 6:21 PM
Solar noonDaytime45.1° · 180° S
San Diego, California · Sun, Oct 25
Evening golden hour · 5:32 PM – 6:21 PM
Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.
https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/san-diego-ca/?date=2026-10-25
Morning
Evening
Where to point the camera
On this selected date, the sun reaches 45° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 256° WSW.
Pick the month before the day
San Diego's sampled golden window runs from about 48 min in March to 54 min in June. Where to stand changes with the calendar: 243° WSW in December swings to 299° WNW by June, 56° of horizon between them. June days run 14 hr 18 min; by December they shrink to 10 hr 1 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:52 AM | 5:06 PM | 10 hr 14 min | 4:29 PM · 53 min | 245° WSW |
| February | 6:33 AM | 5:35 PM | 11 hr 2 min | 5:01 PM · 49 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 7:00 AM | 6:57 PM | 11 hr 57 min | 6:24 PM · 48 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:20 AM | 7:19 PM | 12 hr 59 min | 6:46 PM · 48 min | 282° WNW |
| May | 5:51 AM | 7:41 PM | 13 hr 50 min | 7:06 PM · 51 min | 293° WNW |
| June | 5:41 AM | 7:59 PM | 14 hr 18 min | 7:23 PM · 54 min | 299° WNW |
| July | 5:52 AM | 7:58 PM | 14 hr 6 min | 7:23 PM · 53 min | 296° WNW |
| August | 6:13 AM | 7:35 PM | 13 hr 22 min | 7:01 PM · 50 min | 287° WNW |
| September | 6:33 AM | 6:56 PM | 12 hr 23 min | 6:24 PM · 48 min | 274° W |
| October | 6:53 AM | 6:17 PM | 11 hr 24 min | 5:44 PM · 48 min | 260° W |
| November | 6:20 AM | 4:49 PM | 10 hr 29 min | 4:13 PM · 52 min | 248° WSW |
| December | 6:44 AM | 4:45 PM | 10 hr 1 min | 4:07 PM · 54 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 America · Los Angeles, including any daylight-saving change.
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:38 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 6:07 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:36 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:46 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:01 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:33 PM |
| Sunset | 6:06 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 5:32 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 6:21 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 7:00 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 7:28 PM |
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 | 6:46 AM – 7:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:06 PM | 5:32 PM – 6:21 PM |
| Mon, Oct 26 | 6:46 AM – 7:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:05 PM | 5:31 PM – 6:20 PM |
| Tue, Oct 27 | 6:47 AM – 7:37 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:04 PM | 5:30 PM – 6:19 PM |
| Wed, Oct 28 | 6:48 AM – 7:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:03 PM | 5:29 PM – 6:18 PM |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 6:49 AM – 7:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:02 PM | 5:28 PM – 6:17 PM |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 6:50 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:01 PM | 5:27 PM – 6:16 PM |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 6:51 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:00 PM | 5:26 PM – 6:15 PM |
The moon over San Diego 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 San Diego, the evening golden hour window runs 49 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