Next usable light
Santa Fe
7:04 PM – 7:54 PM
Solar noonDaytime64.0° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · DenverMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:18 AM – 7:08 AM50 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 6:07 AM – 6:18 AM10 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:04 PM – 7:54 PM50 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:54 PM – 8:05 PM10 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:34 AM
- Sunset
- 7:38 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 5 min
- Solar noon
- 1:06 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 64° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 283° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Santa Fe
December is the generous sample in Santa Fe — 57 min of golden light — while March tightens the window to about 49 min. Between December and June the sunset point migrates 58° — from 242° WSW to 300° WNW — which is enough to put a fixed foreground in or out of the light depending on the season. June days run 14 hr 34 min; by December they shrink to 9 hr 45 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:14 AM | 5:14 PM | 10 hr | 4:36 PM · 55 min | 244° WSW |
| February | 6:52 AM | 5:46 PM | 10 hr 54 min | 5:11 PM · 51 min | 255° WSW |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:12 PM | 11 hr 56 min | 6:38 PM · 49 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:32 AM | 7:37 PM | 13 hr 6 min | 7:03 PM · 50 min | 283° WNW |
| May | 6:00 AM | 8:02 PM | 14 hr 3 min | 7:26 PM · 53 min | 294° WNW |
| June | 5:48 AM | 8:22 PM | 14 hr 34 min | 7:44 PM · 56 min | 300° WNW |
| July | 6:00 AM | 8:21 PM | 14 hr 21 min | 7:44 PM · 55 min | 298° WNW |
| August | 6:24 AM | 7:55 PM | 13 hr 31 min | 7:20 PM · 51 min | 288° WNW |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:13 PM | 12 hr 25 min | 6:39 PM · 49 min | 274° W |
| October | 7:11 AM | 6:29 PM | 11 hr 19 min | 5:55 PM · 50 min | 260° W |
| November | 6:41 AM | 4:58 PM | 10 hr 18 min | 4:21 PM · 54 min | 248° WSW |
| December | 7:07 AM | 4:52 PM | 9 hr 45 min | 4:13 PM · 57 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 · Denver, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:04 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:36 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:07 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:18 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:34 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:06 PM |
| Sunset | 7:38 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:04 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:54 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:36 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:08 PM |
Seven local days in Santa Fe
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:18 AM – 7:08 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:38 PM | 7:04 PM – 7:54 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:18 AM – 7:09 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:37 PM | 7:03 PM – 7:53 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:19 AM – 7:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:36 PM | 7:01 PM – 7:52 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:20 AM – 7:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:34 PM | 7:00 PM – 7:50 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:21 AM – 7:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:33 PM | 6:59 PM – 7:49 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:22 AM – 7:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:31 PM | 6:57 PM – 7:47 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:22 AM – 7:12 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:30 PM | 6:56 PM – 7:46 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Santa Fe is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
Use them only as map-search leads; they are not ranked recommendations. We have not verified current access, closures, permits, safety, or an unobstructed view. 283° WNW is the selected-date mathematical sunset bearing; if another composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to locate better-matched sampled months. The number is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Santa Fe, the evening golden hour window runs 50 min on the selected date and approaches from 283° 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 Santa Fe
- When is golden hour in Santa Fe?
- Start with the sun angle in Santa Fe: +6° to −4°. The morning crossing carries sunrise and the later crossing carries sunset, while the representative monthly span is 49 minutes in March and 57 minutes in December. The selected-date light panel translates that geometry into local clock times.
- Which direction does the sun set in Santa Fe?
- Roughly west, but the useful number changes with the season: 242° WSW in December versus 300° WNW in June in Santa Fe. That 58° difference decides whether a street or shoreline actually faces the light on your date.
- How much does day length change in Santa Fe?
- Santa Fe's swing is 4 hr 49 min: December bottoms out around 9 hr 45 min of daylight while June peaks near 14 hr 34 min. Each month's numbers are in the table above.
- Does Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe's horizon; the instant it passes −4°, blue takes over until −6°. Stay in position after a December golden window (57 min at its longest) and the blue phase arrives without you moving a step. Exact times for both are in the panel above.