When is golden hour in Tucson?

Tucson has no fixed golden-hour clock time. The usable band begins at +6° and continues through −4°, enclosing sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening; its representative monthly duration is 47 minutes in March and 54 minutes in December. Use the date control above for the exact boundaries of the day you will shoot.

Which direction does the sun set in Tucson?

There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 56° along Tucson's horizon, between 243° WSW (December) and 299° WNW (June). The month table above lists the bearing for each month, and the sun-path panel computes it per date.

How much does day length change in Tucson?

Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Tucson: 10 hr 3 min of daylight in December versus 14 hr 15 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.

Does Tucson 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 Tucson, the representative December golden window lasts 54 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.

Next usable light

Sun, Oct 25

Tucson

Evening golden hour

5:08 PM – 5:57 PM

night12:00 AMgolden hour6:20 AMdaylight12:09 PMgolden hour5:10 PMblue hour6:00 PMnight12:00 AM000306091215182124

Solar noonDaytime45.6° · 180° S

Take this plan with you

GoldenHourly field brief

Tucson, Arizona · Sun, Oct 25

Evening golden hour · 5:08 PM – 5:57 PM

sunrisesolar noonsunset

Arrive by: 4:53 PM
Duration: 49 min
Direction: 252° WSW
Azimuth: 252°→258°
Sunrise: 6:36 AM
Sunset: 5:42 PM

Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.

https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/tucson-az/?date=2026-10-25

Printed when prepared in your browser

Planning estimate. Calculated in your browser from fixed city coordinates and solar-altitude thresholds. Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included. Method & limits →

View the detailed light plan →

Light windows

Sun, Oct 25 · America · Phoenix

Morning

Golden hour: 6:20 AM – 7:09 AM49 min of warm light
Blue hour: 6:11 AM – 6:20 AM10 min of deep blue twilight

Evening

Golden hour: 5:08 PM – 5:57 PM49 min of warm light
Blue hour: 5:57 PM – 6:07 PM10 min of deep blue twilight

Sunrise: 6:36 AM
Sunset: 5:42 PM
Day length: 11 hr 6 min
Solar noon: 12:09 PM

Where to point the camera

Solar path and bearing

Sunrise direction104° ESE

Sunset direction256° WSW

Sun's highest point46°

Day length vs yesterday−2 min

On this selected date, the sun reaches 46° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 256° WSW.

Pick the month before the day

Light through 2026 in Tucson

Tucson's sampled golden window runs from about 47 min in March to 54 min in December. Where to stand changes with the calendar: 243° WSW in December swings to 299° WNW by June, 56° of horizon between them. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 10 hr 3 min to 14 hr 15 min, dragging every window with it.

Monthlocal day · 00–24

Exact monthly readings

Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Golden window sample	Sunset bearing
January	7:26 AM	5:42 PM	10 hr 16 min	5:06 PM · 53 min	246° WSW
February	7:07 AM	6:11 PM	11 hr 3 min	5:37 PM · 49 min	256° WSW
March	6:35 AM	6:32 PM	11 hr 57 min	6:00 PM · 47 min	268° W
April	5:55 AM	6:54 PM	12 hr 58 min	6:21 PM · 48 min	282° WNW
May	5:27 AM	7:15 PM	13 hr 48 min	6:41 PM · 51 min	293° WNW
June	5:18 AM	7:33 PM	14 hr 15 min	6:57 PM · 53 min	299° WNW
July	5:29 AM	7:32 PM	14 hr 4 min	6:57 PM · 52 min	296° WNW
August	5:49 AM	7:10 PM	13 hr 21 min	6:36 PM · 49 min	287° WNW
September	6:09 AM	6:31 PM	12 hr 23 min	5:59 PM · 47 min	274° W
October	6:28 AM	5:53 PM	11 hr 24 min	5:19 PM · 48 min	260° W
November	6:54 AM	5:25 PM	10 hr 31 min	4:50 PM · 51 min	249° WSW
December	7:18 AM	5:21 PM	10 hr 3 min	4:44 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 · Phoenix, including any daylight-saving change.

Full light and twilight schedule

Midnight to midnight

Phase	Time
Astronomical dawn	5:14 AM
Nautical dawn	5:42 AM
Blue hour (morning)	6:11 AM
Golden hour (morning)	6:20 AM
Sunrise	6:36 AM
Solar noon	12:09 PM
Sunset	5:42 PM
Golden hour (evening)	5:08 PM
Blue hour (evening)	5:57 PM
Nautical dusk	6:35 PM
Astronomical dusk	7:04 PM

Seven local days in Tucson

The week ahead

Date	Morning golden	Sunrise	Sunset	Evening golden
Sun, Oct 25	6:20 AM – 7:09 AM	6:36 AM	5:42 PM	5:08 PM – 5:57 PM
Mon, Oct 26	6:21 AM – 7:10 AM	6:37 AM	5:41 PM	5:07 PM – 5:56 PM
Tue, Oct 27	6:22 AM – 7:11 AM	6:37 AM	5:40 PM	5:06 PM – 5:55 PM
Wed, Oct 28	6:23 AM – 7:12 AM	6:38 AM	5:39 PM	5:05 PM – 5:54 PM
Thu, Oct 29	6:24 AM – 7:13 AM	6:39 AM	5:38 PM	5:04 PM – 5:53 PM
Fri, Oct 30	6:24 AM – 7:14 AM	6:40 AM	5:37 PM	5:03 PM – 5:52 PM
Sat, Oct 31	6:25 AM – 7:15 AM	6:41 AM	5:36 PM	5:02 PM – 5:51 PM

Moon and candidate vantage points

Context to verify

Moon on the selected date

The moon over Tucson 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 256° WSW; 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 Tucson, 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

Golden hour FAQ for Tucson

When is golden hour in Tucson?: Tucson has no fixed golden-hour clock time. The usable band begins at +6° and continues through −4°, enclosing sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening; its representative monthly duration is 47 minutes in March and 54 minutes in December. Use the date control above for the exact boundaries of the day you will shoot.
Which direction does the sun set in Tucson?: There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 56° along Tucson's horizon, between 243° WSW (December) and 299° WNW (June). The month table above lists the bearing for each month, and the sun-path panel computes it per date.
How much does day length change in Tucson?: Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Tucson: 10 hr 3 min of daylight in December versus 14 hr 15 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
Does Tucson 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 Tucson, the representative December golden window lasts 54 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.

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